The Jester and the Lawyer
by moonservant
Summary: TDK SPOILERS! After their encounter at the party, the Joker takes an interest in Rachel Dawes.
1. Chapter 1

Sometimes, plain sight was the best hiding spot. Batman did not expect him to be freely lingering in the less frequented alleys of Gotham, so he was safe here, safe to think. His mind was moving faster than usual, about ten thousand miles an hour as opposed to a thousand. It had been an eventful night full of twists and turns; it made him laugh. So, Batsy had a thing for Dent's little squeeze! Sure, it would look like he was just being heroic and _noble_ jumping out the window after the creature, but he had sensed something. Yeah, many people would not think it, but he had a way of reading people. After all, as a comedian, one has to know his audience and Batman was like an open book to him, after all, he was his opposite, his missing piece. He let a quiet cackle escape his scarred lips. It was just too funny! Batman, the dark knight of Gotham, he who probably had gaggles of women ready to give themselves to him, was being denied this one lawyer, and for Harvey Dent of all people! What more, Miss Dawes definitely cared about Batman. There was definitely something they weren't telling him. It was a puzzle, and he liked puzzles. He would get to the bottom of this. Besides, having Miss Dawes around might just prove useful sometime in the future. He allowed another louder laugh that made him double over as he turned and staggered further into the darkness.

--

Rachel Dawes sat curled up on her bed, phone in hand as she waited for Harvey to call… or Gordon. No! She mustn't think like that. She sighed and curled up further to continue watching the news coverage on the Joker's latest "prank." She shivered as she remembered the feel of the knife on her cheek, his iron grip on her arm. She had been so sure of her death right there that none of his words had got through to her until he actually threatened her. Still, nothing could have been more frightening that falling out that window. If it hadn't been for Bruce… Bruce, the most complicated part of her life. Old childhood friend turned boyfriend turned Gotham's savior and her sort of ex, he was the one force keeping her from accepting Harvey. She was happy with him, and he was dedicated to her and not tied up with a superhero thing. Sure, she still loved Bruce, but he would never be able to give up being Batman. She growled into a pillow, wishing she could have a normal life.

She heard the front door open and leaped up. Harvey must have decided just to head over. He could have called though. She had been worried about him. The Joker had been so eager to get him, and with Batman's focus on her for a while, it might have been possible for his minions to get to him.

"You could have called, you know," she said playfully as she turned into the living room only to freeze.

"Yeah, but why ruin the surprise?" A loud cackle was the last thing she remembered before it all went black.

_A/N: So, the JokerxRachel ship has gained a bit of popularity… alright, not a lot, but some. The two stories I've read have both been unique and very good, but not quite how I imagined it, so I thought I'd tell my side of it. Plus, I don't trust myself with an oc right now. I wrote a four and a half page essay on what we can all learn from the new Joker, so yeah, a tad infatuated right now._

_To the Harley fans who might feel the need to flame me, DON'T! Firstly, fandom, it's a wonderful thing so embrace it or politely ignore it. Secondly, not a comic book reader, so I really don't know anything about Harley, sorry!_

_To reviewers in general: constructive criticism is a wonderful thing too, so feel free to criticize, but make sure I can learn something from it. "This sux" is not helpful! And of course, gushing and proclamations of love for this is generally accepted… PLEASE REVIEW!! _

_moonservant_


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing Rachel noticed as consciousness returned was a sharp pain in the back of the head. The next thing, as she tried to move her hands to inspect the pain, was that her limbs were tied down. She opened her eyes and blinked against the minor light sensitivity that came with the injury. Once her eyes were able to focus, she looked around to find that she was in a dirty room with a door in front of her, a table, and another chair. Her hands were tied to the arms to her chair and her feet to the front legs. Panic began to sink in as she remembered what had happened back at her apartment. She glanced around nervously looking for anything to possibly release her, but there was nothing else in the room and even if there was, she could not move thanks to the rather inconvenient bonds. Through the silence she heard footsteps approach.

Even before the door opened, she knew who it was, and right now, she wished she could be wrong. There stood the Joker in all his painted terror. It felt as if he moved in slow motion as she studied every part of his appearance. His hair, a bright blond, was tinted green, the way her friend's sometimes did in the summer after too much chlorine, and his face was roughly painted white and black. He appeared to be quite young, early thirties, maybe even late twenties, but it was hard to say. Then there was the two terrible scars that ran from either side of his mouth, giving him a devilish permanent smile that he had painted red to go with his clown theme. Some part of her mind wondered how he had acquired those and another part recalled that he had mentioned it earlier... or last night... sometime in the past. How long had she been out? His general appearance was also quite interesting. He was tall and thin, though not sickly thin. He also wore a green and purple suit, two of her favorite colors that scared the life out of her. In one gloved hand he held a knife and her heart beat double time.

He sat across from her with a contemplative and searching look. She felt like a pig being weighed before the slaughter. He tilted his head this way and that before stabbing the knife into the table and leaning back in his chair, and amused glint in his dangerous brown eyes. A small laugh escaped that chilled her to the bone.

XXXXXXXXX

The girl was scared, that much was obvious. He found it quite humorous that people were afraid of little ol' him. After all, weren't clowns supposed to be funny? Well, he was comical, but he was also outside the norm and people just could not appreciate that for whatever reason. He took a deep breath and watched her flinch.

"Well, welcome back to the living Miss Dawes, kind of you to join us. Please forgive the decor, I'm not used to such company," he began.

"What do you want with me?" she asked quickly, her chest heaving with panic. His smile vanished. Her question grated on his nerves for two reasons. First, it should be obvious! It's not like she wasn't dating Harvey Dent and her thing with Batman might as well be written on a billboard! Oh, and she was a lawyer working on the biggest crime bust of the century. Secondly, her manners were terrible! Everyone always did this. No one ever just wanted to talk. There was no "Thanks, and don't worry about. So how are you?" All they ever wanted to do was talk about themselves. This is why he did not socialize much. "I'm not going to tell you anything so you might as well kill me now." That was the second thing, everyone always assumed he wanted to kill them. He never wanted to kill _them_, they just usually made such good targets. But she was different, something else curious about her, she did not fight this supposed fact, but encouraged him. Still, death was not on the agenda today... for her. One of the goons had apprehended a Batman-wannabe and he had not graced the news with a video lately.

"I'm not gonna kill you today. It would just be stupid to waste someone so useful as you, and let's face it, I'm not stupid," he told her as she struggled against the bonds. "You know, that's terribly rude," he commented with a hurt expression. "Here I am, trying to have a lovely conversation with you, and you just want to escape. I mean, how am I supposed to interpret that? I'll end up without a scrap of confidence, crying to a shrink because of you!" That caught her off guard for a bit, but she continued to fight the rope anyway. He sighed; some people just didn't care.

"I won't tell you anything. I'm of no use to you," she disagreed. Did the girl have a death wish or something? Most of his guests would be thrilled to be considered useful, or useful in a long term manner as everyone was always of some value.

"Oh, but you don't have to tell me anything. In fact, you don't have to do anything but stay alive. It's I who has to do the hard work, figuring out a plan and a counter plan because where's the chaos if everything goes according to plan? That just wouldn't be any fun without a bit of running about," he assured her, but she didn't look any calmer.

"Sorry to disappoint you Mr. Joker, but Harvey won't turn himself in. He knows I wouldn't want him to," she countered. He smiled slightly, recognizing that fighting spirit he met yesterday.

"I'm counting on it Miss Dawes, and it's not Harvey I'm after anymore," he hinted. He watched as she ran over his words and saw the realization in her eyes.

"Why do you think Batman would come after me? I'm nobody, just like your other victims," she argued, but it lacked conviction. If he had had any doubts about Batsy's regards toward her, this proved him right. He cared and she knew it! This was his Achilles heel and it was just a matter of time until he put an arrow through it.

"Please, do not insult my intelligence. I may be a clown, but I'm not stupid as we have already established. You have to be someone special for Batboy to leave Dent, the _white knight_, alone. It's a good thing he can't find us right now, otherwise, we could never of had this little chat, not that you're the best conversationalist in the world. Still, better than Mopey and Dopey out there," he joked. She failed to see the humor.

"How... how do you plan to get him here then?" she tripped over her words. He laughed, a lighter one than his usual cackle.

"I can't tell you! It would ruin the punchline far too soon," he exclaimed with an exaggerated motion that made her flinch again. He leaned back in his chair again and watched her as he quickly wet his lips. That was the curse of the paint; it dried out the skin.

"You know Rachel, can I call you Rachel, of course I can, you puzzle me." He paused. Puzzle? Did he like that word? Hmm, what could he use in its place? Baffle... yes, baffle worked better. It was such a silly word! "You baffle me. Or more like, the people's reaction to you baffles me. I mean, here you are the supposed damsel in distress, and really, you're the cruel one. Sure, when push comes to shove I could probably shove harder, but you, you're just out right mean!" he finally decided. She started to ask for clarification, but he cut her off. "This game you play with Dent and Batman, it's almost painful to think about. You are stabbing them right where it hurts, the heart. It's a slow and painful game you play too! People take a problem with me offing a few people here and there, but I just hurt them bodily, and it's over quickly too. You, on the other hand, how long have you been playing with Batsy? And it's no secret about you and Dent, so that must _kill _him, and as his better half, I just think that's rather unfair. Then Dent, he doesn't know about your secret, does he? But what if he did? That might be enough to... unhinge him," he alluded. That was ultimately his master plan, to undo the ultimate symbol of goodness, the great Harvey Dent. Rachel began to squirm nervously, afraid that he might reveal this information. "Oh, don't worry, I won't tell anyone," he promised, and he was a man of his word if nothing else. Heartbreak directed at him was not the way to undo Dent. They sat in silence for a moment before he abruptly stood. making her jump.

"Well, I have to go. There is someone else waiting for me and I _hate_ to be a bad host, so do excuse me," he dismissed himself. Pulling the knife out of the table, he turned and left.

_A/N: AWWWWWW!! You guys are amazing! I opened my mail with 27 messages, most of them being about this, eleven-ish being reviews. I stared at that a)stunned b)excited c)scared. It is my general findings that with my first stories in a categories that one review will be negative, but no! You all were so encouraging that it was truly wonderful! BTW, if I ever repeat a sentence like I did in the last chapter, please let me know. Oh, and as to my thanks in here, I just thank the anonymous people here. Everyone else should get a review reply._

_Nightdragon8: Here ya go! Glad you like it. Hope I haven't disappointed._


	3. Chapter 3

The next few days were probably some of the most confusing of Rachel's young life. She was a hostage here, and yet, she was not badly treated. She was not abused or filmed like the videos GCN showed. She was fed, allowed to wash up in the mornings, and was not even kept in isolation, though she did see what the Joker meant about his goon's conversation skills. The only thing that proved that she was here against her will was the restraints she was forced to stay in most of the time. It was confusing. Here she was, being held captive by the most insane villain Gotham had ever seen, and she was still in good condition.

Then again, this could go back to needing her to be alive for whatever plot he had set-up. Perhaps she needed to be uninjured for it. For this, she was grateful. First, being in this chair for hours on end was uncomfortable enough; bodily injury would not help the situation any. Secondly, if she was awake during the scheme, she might be able to talk to Bruce and help him get away. She worried about this. Harvey might be smart enough not to give into the Joker's demands, but Bruce was so much more emotional and impulsive. He would risk everything for her even though the city needed him more than her. Then again, the Joker probably knew this already and had made sure that she would be unable to do this. Hopefully he was the stereotypical villain that would reveal every part of his plan to her before hand so she could try and figure a way out of it. Something told her that was not the case.

The door opened for the second time that day and in walked Mopey. He was not one of her favorite goons. A cloud of rancid B.O. surrounded him and he was much rougher with her than Dopey or Grumpy. Still, his coming broke up the monotony of the day. She gave him a pleasant little smile (rudeness wouldn't help anything) but felt that fade as he pulled out a knife. He came closer and with every step her heart beat faster. He was a foot from her and she clamped her eyes shut and awaited the pain. But it never came. She opened one eye hesitantly to find him sawing away at the rope on one arm. She openly stared at him for a minute before finally speaking.

"What are you doing?" Mopey grunted as he broke through the last strand and moved on to the other one.

"Boss says we should let ya move 'bout a bit and damn Grumpy ties his knots ta tight," the masked man answered gruffly. Rachel felt the light of God shine down upon her with this information. Being free, that would give her a chance to escape. All she had to do was wait for him to finish releasing her feet, somehow get passed him, and run for it. The door was open and the hallway looked clear. It was now or never in her mind.

The rope on her left leg was cut away and the right one was quickly joining it. She watched it carefully, waiting for the right moment. She heard the gentle tear and snapped her leg forward quickly, hitting the goon square in the nose; a sick crack met her ears. Taking advantage of his distraction, Rachel jumped over the bleeding clown and took off running. She didn't make it too far. Maybe ten feet out of the room, an arm reached out and caught hold of her. The person pulled her back and slammed her violently into the wall, hitting the still tender area of her head. A knife was pressed to the corner of her mouth.

"Now, now, what is this?" the Joker asked with a dangerous edge to his voice. Rachel struggled against his grip, but could not get away. He had learned his lesson last time and did not allow for her to move. "Here I thought I was being nice, letting you move about, and you betray my trust. Now, what should I do about that?" he hissed. Rachel froze and felt the knife being pressed harder against the sensitive skin. "Oh Rachel, why so serious?" He tensed, but before he could do anything, Mopey interrupted.

"Sorwee Boss, she ga away. I di'n't me' it," he apologized through his broken nose. Joker relaxed a bit and dragged her into the room, indicating for Mopey to follow and close the door. He sat Rachel down roughly in her chair and this time she did not try and move. He walked around to the other side of the table and looked at her with a sigh.

"What to do with you?" he asked like a parent to a wayward child. Suddenly, he perked up and started digging through his pockets. "Hey, do you want to see a magic trick?" She did not respond, but watched as he pulled a pencil out of his pocket. "I am going to make this pencil disappear! Have you seen this one yet Mopey?" he asked the still approaching thug. The injured man muttered no. "Oh, you're going to die!" He stuck the pencil to the table and began counting backwards. "Three... two... two and a half... ONE!" and with that he grabbed Mopey's head and drove the pencil through it. "TA-DA!" he yelled, letting the dead henchman fall to the floor. Rachel's scream caught in her throat and she simply stared at him in shock and fear.

"So Rachel, I like anarchy, but not from other people! You will stay here and follow my plans, or you will end up like Mopey here. Am I understood?" he yelled. Rachel violently nodded her head to make sure that she understood perfectly. With that, he turned and stormed from the room, slamming the door shut. Rachel continued to sit there shaking and crying.

XXXXXXXXX

Joker leaned against the door once he had returned to his study and ran a hand through his hair. He lost far too many men. Oh well, they were worthless and usually just got in the way. He crossed back to where he had been drawing up his latest scheme. He needed a way to fake Miss Dawes's death, frame Batman for it, play the good guy, and crack Dent like the nut he could be. So far, he had a grand total of nothing. The obvious thing would be to just let Dawes die for real in say a tragic explosion for lover boy or Batman to hear, but he had a feeling that she could end up being quite useful. She was afraid of him and fear could be a very manipulative emotion.

_A/N: Sorry for the length. You guys are amazing! Have I told you that? I think so... well, so this chapter was totally right off the top of my head. I had some idea of where I wanted to go with this, but changed directions right near the end. Knew I wanted to use the pencil trick though... LOVED THAT PART OF THE MOVIE!! However, do not despair my lovely readers, after viewing a few The Animated Series episodes, I have come up with some ideas. It was nice to get another viewpoint of the Joker and see what schemes he's done in the past. Well, hope he wasn't too ooc here. I've never actually written a villain before. I don't count Voldemort either because he changed way too quickly and was mentally stable. So please review! though I don't think that will be a problem._

_Alex: Thanks so much! Joker really is a complex character and I was afraid about approaching him. So, glad you like it._

_RoseO: Thanks! Glad you like it._


	4. Chapter 4

No one likes Mondays, not even the Joker. He stared down at the blueprint paper before him and looked over his half completed plan. He knew how to turn Harvey against Batman, but now he needed to figure out how in the world he was going to remain the innocent bystander. He wracked his mind wondering how that might be possible, but his mind was all over the place today. Everything from Nostradamus to the fly in the corner was plaguing him. He had yet to figure out if that ancient guy was psychic or just loony and he could not kill that fly! He tossed his pen aside and sighed deeply. He just needed the day off. He walked out of his study and pushed his sleeves up. Today, Gotham could have a normal day and he would cool down for awhile. Besides, without him causing havoc, the city would be completely on edge because this too was outside the plan. He laughed darkly; he always won.

He headed for the sitting room which he knew would be vacant. His composure had wavered for a moment so his goons had gone running for it. He threw himself onto the lumpy, faded couch and clicked on the TV to begin channel surfing. This killed about a good half hour until he became bored with the featured Disney movie and its sickening moral. Really, the lies in that were awful, torturous even! To think, people allowed their children to be brainwashed by this talk of happily-ever-afters and "if you can dream it, you can do it," nonsense. This again was why people reacted to him the way they did. They believed everything should be sunshine and rainbows, he comes along, gives them a sharp dose of reality, and they freak. Walt practically set the world up for his chaos! Hmmm... he would need to send them a lovely thank you card eventually. He turned the television off and stared at the ceiling. There was not much to do, and he had vowed he would not leave the house. He glanced around the room and saw several stacks of cards and a chess board. There was always a rousing game of Solitaire, but he just was not in the mood. With a sigh he got up and began wandering the building.

He passed Rachel's door twice and each time he would press an ear to it to see what he could hear. Silence met him both times. On his third walk about he paused and stared at the door. The last person he had kept this long had been screaming by this point. He folded his arms and tapped his foot wondering what was going on. He had kicked everyone out before he had gotten the report on her. For all he knew, she was dead and that would be a serious snag in his plans. This thought made him mad. No one interfered with his plans except for him! With an irritated lick of his lips and a sigh he unlocked the door and went inside.

Thankfully, the girl was still alive. She was sitting in the far corner, hugging her knees to her chest. Her hair was still damp from her shower earlier and her clothes were terribly wrinkled from excessive wear. She was not crying, but simply staring off into space with boredom. He leaned against the door frame and cleared his throat. She glanced up at him, not really seeing him at first, and jumped when she finally comprehended that it was in fact him and not one of the goons at the door. She pressed herself further into the corner and crossed her arms defensively over her. He laughed at her fear.

"Well, hello Beautiful. Huh, I thought we agreed you needed to smile more?" he teased her. She squeaked and covered her mouth with a hand as if that would really stop him had he felt the need to make her over. This caused a terrible cackle to escape him. This simply made her more afraid and that worsened the laugh. Finally, after dabbing some tears from his eyes, he was able to control himself. He licked his lips once again before speaking. "Hey, don't worry, you've been in here for over a week, I wouldn't be smiling either! Actually, I've come to rescue you from a painful death," he informed her with an overdone sweep of his arms. Instead of the gratitude he had expected, he simply received a blank look. He sighed again; some people just didn't get it. "Boredom! I figured it would ruin my plans if you died of boredom," he explained gruffly. She mouthed 'oh' and gave him a humored nose snort, but it was too late. It wasn't funny now that he had had to explain it. They stared at each other, she being unsure of what to do, and he waiting for her to get up. "Well, ya comin' or what?" he finally asked impatiently. Rachel quickly scrambled up and walked out of the room, but did not go far. She knew that with him around she could not try escaping again. However, he wasn't willing to risk anything, so he threw an arm around her, laughed lightly as she flinched, and led her to the sitting room. He locked the door and motioned for her to take a seat before retrieving a stack of cards.

He pulled up one of the spare chairs to sit across the make-shift coffee table, laughing at Rachel's look of pure ecstasy from sitting on a cushioned surface. She noticed this and quickly returned to her stony expression. He began shufling the cards, throwing in a few tricks, though his partner seemed less than impressed, and then dealt the deck between them. Rachel gave him a questioning look which he returned to mess with her.

"What are we playing?" she asked finally. Right, he forgot that not everyone could read his mind. Even he didn't know what he was thinking at times.

"B.S," he answered as he sorted out his cards. Yay, he got to start!

"B.S? Are we still in the fifth grade?" she teased him as she too sorted her cards. He shot her a warning glare. He did not swear if he could help it. It was a sign of inferiority and limited intelligence, two things he would never be described as. He plucked two aces from his hand and smacked them down.

"Two aces," he began.

"A two."

"Three threes."

"Two fours."

"Five fives."

"B.S!" Rachel decided. He cackled and revealed five fives. Her jaw dropped and she gave him a scandalized look.

"That's not fair!" she yelled as he pushed the pile at her. He shrugged and wet his lips again.

"Life isn't fair sweetheart. Plus, you're playing with a Joker deck, a thing I've modified. Five cards each, a Joker of each suit, and absolutely no Jacks," he explained. It would have been meaner to not point this out, but he wanted to have some kind of a challenge with this.

"Why no Jacks?" she asked. He shrugged again.

"Because..." She accepted this, probably on the foundation that he had no motivations what so ever, and carried on. They got through two rounds, and Rachel was defiantly loosening up and enjoying herself. "You seem to really like this game," he commented, laying down two sevens and a ten.

"B.S." she sassed, and he took the rather large pile gingerly. "My roommates and I used to play it in college, only we liked to spice it up." He raised an eyebrow, seeing an opportunity with this.

"Care to uh, "spice it up" now?" he asked innocently, sucking on his lower lip.

"Depends on what you have in mind."

"If you lay down the wrong cards and are caught, you must answer a question honestly. If you incorrectly call bs, then you have to answer the question. Shall we consider this a way to become better acquainted?" he proposed. She tossed the idea about then, reluctantly agreed. While the knowledge that he could find out her secrets was heavy on her mind, her curiosity out weighed the danger. They continued with the game.

"Two Jokers."

"Four Queens."

"A King."

"Three Aces."

"Liar," Rachel laughed. He took the cards and awaited her question. "What to ask? What to ask?" She nibbled on her lip as a million things came to mind. He leaned back and fixed her with his innocent smile that really meant he was toying with her, sucker. "What's your real name?" He had expected that.

"Samuel," he answered. She continued to look pointedly at him awaiting a last name. "Adams." She nodded.

"Samuel Adams... hmmm... Wait a minute!" she yelled as she finally got it. He laughed and listened to her yell the rules at him. "Alright, my name was originally Joe, but that's all you're getting. I think you can see my need to drop it."

"Yeah. Doesn't exactly inspire fear," she agreed bitterly. They continued, but only got a few rounds into it when he caught her fib.

"Favorite color?" he asked. This question caught her off guard. No doubt she expected him to ask Batman's true identity.

"Uh... purple."

"Well, that's one thing we have in common then," he giggled and returned to the game.

They played for a few more hours and they learned a lot about each other... or he learned a lot about her and she knew next to nothing. Finally, it was down to her having three cards and him having one. Unfortunately, luck was not on his side this time.

"B.S. Mr. Joker," she sassed. He tossed over the card, revealing, ironically, a joker instead of a four and sucked on his lip for the ninth time that day. She seemed to be having difficulty finding questions at this point.

"What's with your lip thing?" she finally asked. "Is it like a tic of yours or something?" He weighed the dangers of telling the truth, but found nothing. She could not use dry skin against him.

"The paint is very drying, and it gets annoying and itchy at times," he allowed her to know. She chuckled to herself and he raised an eyebrow in question. His agony was not funny! What kind of human could laugh at another person's suffering? Oh yeah... well laugh at _his_ suffering at least.

"Ever hear of a moisturiser?" she asked sarcastically. Alright, this chick was getting too confident for her own good!

"Do I look like a lotion user?" he shot back. She seemed to take the hint and returned to her more defensive stance.

"Well, I know that it can be very bad for the skin. I know my skin always got scaly after Halloween... it's just a suggestion," she muttered. He lightened up and shrugged it off.

"It's probably late. You should get some sleep, and I should try and finish that scheme," he told her.

"Oh, yeah, wouldn't want you to get behind on that," she mumbled. Wait, so she had actually forgotten about his plan to get Harvey? That was curious. He escorted her back to her room, locked her in, and returned to his study, but his mind was still elsewhere.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rachel curled up in her corner and tried to fall asleep, but the guilt of her actions was too great. She had just spent several hours enjoying herself with a notorious mass murderer who was out to kill her boyfriend! No amount of his charisma or her boredom justified that. She groaned, and covered her ears, trying to block out all sense of peace she felt.

_A/N: YAY! Another chapter completed! This truely was off the top of my head, and I liked it. I know it was fluffy, but I figured that even the Joker could enjoy games. So, give me your opinions, good and bad. Thanks. Next chapter will be up soon-ish hopefully._

_Alex: Thanks, glad you liked it. I had to work the Pencil trick in. It's like the signature move of the new Joker, and it worked quite well._


	5. Chapter 5

Any platonic feelings Rachel might have been feeling the night before were quickly erased as Joker's yells and several screams woke her up. As she silently cursed clown boy's fiery temper, she listened in on the commotion. From what she could gather, a couple henchmen had indulged a bit too much last night and in their drunken haze, revealed the true nature of her disappearance. This, apparently, was something Joker had been trying to keep low judging by his reaction, but Rachel felt he was overreacting. After all, did he really expect Batman to not suspect him. It was just the obvious choice considering how he had been after Harvey just before her disappearance.

A few more bone-chilling screams filled the air, then there was silence. Rachel crawled over to the door and pressed an ear to it, trying to figure out what was happening now. Footsteps approached her door, but even as her heart stopped, they turned and walked away. She decided she did not want to know what was happening anymore; it was too nerve-wracking, and she crawled back into her corner.

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He was furious! Dent would know by now what had happened and thus his plans were ruined. If he believed Rachel was dead, then he would be coming after him, not Batman. This threw everything off. He had finally figured everything out, and now they ruined it. He growled and kicked his chair with such force that it flew into the wall and splintered. Now what was he supposed to do?

He paced back and forth trying to think of a way to salvage his plot. So far the only thing he could think of was to put it off a month or so, just enough time to let everyone cool off. But Dent was a love-sick puppy and he would not forget about Rachel so easily. No, he would have to let her go. Or he could just kill the D.A. and keep the girl here under threat of death. Hm, it was a possibility. Then again, that usually did not work. Heck, look at what happened today. He just lost another ten men and they knew what would happen to them if they slipped up. He would have to let her go.

But then there was the matter of keeping track of her. She would probably be glued to Dent's side and drowned in security now! There was no way he could watch her that way. He jerked to a stop and began laughing. What was he talking about? He was the Joker! Of course he could keep track of a little girl! A few death threats here, some occasional check-ups there, and perhaps a tracking device and all would be fine. He laughed again. This would be too easy! Oh, he loved it when things fell into place.

"Oh Rachel," he called in his sing-song voice as he opened the door. A fearful squeak was the response he got. He growled deep in his throat from annoyance. He thought he had made such an improvement yesterday! While she still needed to fear him by the month's end, he would eventually need her to trust him. If all went right, he could have his own personal lawyer and spy inside the D.A.'s office. Naturally, this would have to be after Dent proved to the world that no one was really all good and had ruined everything with his little girlfriend. "Oh come now, there's no need to fear me right now. I thought we had such fun yesterday," he tried to assure her. No doubt she had heard the ruckus earlier.

"H-how many did you kill?" she asked quietly. He really had messed up with that. _'Note to self: keep all mass killings in the quiet room until she's gone._'

"Ten. I now have a grand total of five people directly working for me... good thing I work best alone," he joked darkly. She began to shake, probably fearing that she would be number eleven. Hello! If he wanted to kill her he would have done so a week ago! "Rachel, Rachel, Rachel," he cooed as he walked over and knelt beside her, "you don't have to be afraid of me. Remember, I need you." She did not look any happier, but she had at least stopped shaking. "Plus, you should be thankful for those idiots. It gives you some extra time," he informed her. She just rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Great, I get to be stuck in here even longer." At the pointed look her gave her she quickly added, "But your company's been wonderful lately!" He chuckled, liking the effect he had over her.

"You are a terrible liar. Now, I understand that staying here is probably not the most appealing of ideas, and since I will be quite busy the rest of the time, I've decided to let you go home," he told her. In response, she fixed him with the 'deer in the headlights' look. Not what she had been expecting then.

"Why?" she finally asked. _'Because I've finally seen the error of my ways and realize I cannot keep you against your will anymore. Please forgive me!_' he thought sarcastically. What did she expect him to say? How in the world did someone this oblivious get through law school?

"Because, Batman can't know I'm behind this. He already knows I have you, and I need time to get him off my back," he explained hastily. She nodded and lowered her head thoughtfully. "Which brings us to the terms of your freedom. You will not leave town. You are to go about life in a normal manner. You will not mention our little secret to anyone! Do you understand?" he asked her firmly. She nodded quickly. "Very well then." With that, he blindfolded her and handed her over to one of his remaining thugs with instructions to drop her off far from here. "Until we meet again Miss Dawes," he called after her with a terrible cackle.

_A/N: Sorry this was so short, but as with the first chapter, I fear expanding this will be too much. The next chapter will be longer._

_Alex: Were you feeling ambitious with the reviews? Two very long ones, that made my day. First, thanks for the suggestion, however I have already determined the means in which they get together. Your idea was very good though. Second, I'm glad you like my Joker interpretation. I know what you mean about the movie not giving that other side to him as fully, but you have to admit, some of his plans were very straight forward though still clever. Glad I was able to bring that more to the front to your liking._


	6. Chapter 6

As the footsteps of the henchman died away, Rachel assumed that it would be safe to remove the blindfold. Hesitantly, she pulled it away to find that she was in an ally somewhere in the center of town. She approached the sidewalk carefully, afraid that this was one of his tricks, or worse yet, the beginning of his scheme. Deciding that it would be best to not be recognized, she pulled the hood of her sweatshirt up and merged into the mild crowd. As quickly as she could, without be suspicious, she made her way to the courthouse. No doubt Harvey was there working harder than he needed. At the thought of him, a smile forced itself onto her lips. She had missed him so much.

A warm bubble swelled up inside her chest with the knowledge that she would be able to see him again. Rachel stopped and leaned up against the building deep in thought. At their last meeting, Harvey had asked her to marry him; she had not given him an answer. After everything that had happened, she realized that it was time to be a one man woman. Her life had been crazy and unexpected enough, and now she was going to make the right decision for it. While some might have found her life to be exciting, Rachel just wanted a normal, stable life, and Harvey could give her that. And she loved, an extra little bonus. She might have made a promise to Bruce, but it was never going to happen, and she needed to start thinking about herself. With a new found bounce in her step, she pushed off the wall and continued on her way.

She reached the courthouse, got through security easily, and made her way up to the top floor where his office was. During the elevator ride up, she nibbled on her pinkie nail, a sense of unease about her. The Joker had warned her not to tell anyone, but Harvey's life was in danger. Besides, he was not the kind of guy to just trust people to keep their word. Somehow he was spying on her, listening to her conversations, something. No, now was not the time to tell him, if ever there was. If she told, she had just signed his death certificate. If she did not tell, or at least waited, then it gave him some chance of survival. As she approached the floor, she shook her head of such thoughts. This would be a happy moment. Lord knew she needed one.

The door slide open with a beep and Rachel quickly walked to the office, ignoring the receptionists comments that he was in a meeting. She did not care. She just needed to see him and know that he was okay. The door flew open and Harvey and Lt. Gordon froze in the middle of what looked to be a very heated argument. A million emotions poured over Rachel, rendering her unable to speak. Instead, she just pulled her hood back and watched as both men's jaws dropped. "Hi Harvey," she finally whispered.

Rachel had always believed that those expressions of "I don't know how it happened, but-" were total nonsense and it was just the inability to remember minor details, but now she knew that sometimes they could be true. She did not know how she got there, but sometime between her uttered words and her next heartbeat she was tangled in Harvey's tight embrace, tears that may or may not have been hers streaming down her face and his kiss pressed to her temple. They stood like that for a minute or so before anyone could speak.

"Rachel," Harvey breathed. He repeated her name a few more times, a hand stroking the back of her head gently. "You're okay, thank god."

"I'm fine Harvey," she assured him. He finally loosened his grip and met her gaze.

"I thought I lost you." Well, that was certainly happy.

"But you didn't." They smiled with relief and he kissed her, simply reaffirming Rachel's decision.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Gordon began awkwardly, "but I need to talk to you, Miss Dawes." Rachel gently and reluctantly pushed Harvey away and moved closer to Gordon.

"We understand. Would it be alright if Harvey was there? I'd rather not have to explain everything twice," she requested. Gordon assured her that would be fine and the three headed off to the police station.

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By the time Rachel had finished her vague story, Gordon and Harvey looked as if she had just announced that she had a set of eyes on the back of her head. She sunk into her chair a bit, embarrassed by their reactions. Gordon's pen fell from his frozen hand.

"He just let you go?" the officer asked, struggling to comprehend that fact.

"Yeah. He felt it would be most opportune to his plans," she answered.

"And were there terms for you leaving?" Gordon pressed. He found this to be an unusual situation. Rachel herself was still coming to terms with it.

"Just stay in town," she partly told him. The other details could not be known. At least, not yet.

"And you weren't hurt?" Harvey asked, finding that to be the difficult thing to comprehend. Rachel shrugged and mumbled 'yeah.'

"Miss Dawes, how many times did you interact with the Joker?" he questioned. She knew this would be needed in case of a trial.

"Four scattered times," she cooperated.

"Could you please describe those events to the best of your knowledge?" Rachel paused to gather what information she had and edit what she could not tell.

"The first time was after I woke up and he came in with a knife probably for intimidation, and he just talked to me. A lot of it was nonsense, comments about my manners and such, but he did tell me that I was there as bait. How or for what purpose I do not know.

"The second time was a brief run in. I had tried to escape after being untied. The door was open; I broke the assistant's nose and he grabbed me about ten feet out. He threatened me, offering to do a number on my face, and once I was returned to my room, he killed the assistant by shoving a pencil through his head. He said it was a magic trick.

"The forth time," she continued, hoping they would not notice this until later, "was just this morning when he came and told me that his grand scheme was to be pushed back later and I could go home until he needed me again. I just had to stay in town." Gordon finished taking notes, and reread them. Rachel felt the pit of her stomach fall away.

"And the third time, Miss Dawes?" She squirmed uncomfortably and felt Harvey's hand tight on hers.

"Do you want me to leave?" he asked softly, probably jumping to terrible conclusions.

'No, it was just confusing is all. Here he is, this horrid mass murderer, asking me to play cards with him. That's what we did for five hours, play Truth B.S. like two friends, not like captor and captive. He was almost pleasent to be around," she confessed. This last comment earned her some strange looks, but Harvey, ever the opprotunist, caught the possible significance behind the game.

"Did you learn anything about him? Anything useful?" Rachel laughed.

"I have a possible first name and know that he could probably use with a facial. Other than that, he probably lied about everything. Said his name was Joe by the way," she answered Gordon's next question.

"And did you tell him anything that he could use against you?" Gordon asked.

"No. It was all favorite this, favorite that, height, weight, vague questions. He didn't even ask about my family," she assured him. Besides, if he had, she would have been smart enough to lie about it.

"You mentioned he was plotting something. Would you happen to know what?"

"No," she answered truthfully. She really did not know what. Gordon sighed, disappointed with the answer, and thanked her for the trouble. He also offered her protection considering that her purpose had not been completed in the Joker's mind. Despite Harvey's protest, she refused, knowing it would take more than a police officer or two to keep the Joker from getting her and enough officers had been killed already. With that, Harvey and Rachel left the station.

"So, will you allow me to escort you home, or is that too much security for you?" he asked a bit playfully once they were outside.

"I think I can suffer that," she teased back with a small laugh. They walked a ways before she finally worked up the courage to speak again. "You know, I never gave you an answer."

"Well, you were kind of... preoccupied," he pointed out, as if he was not curious about what she was getting at.

"I thought about it. I had a lot of time on my hands, and I realized that my concerns were silly. So I accept," she told him. A huge smile split his face, but being the smooth guy he was, he kept walking with her. His spare hand reached into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out an elegant diamond ring which he slipped onto her finger once he had finally untangled their fingers.

"I think that's a pretty good fit, don't you, Mrs. Dent?" he asked happily, and just a bit giddily. Rachel smiled even more at the sound of her soon to be name.

"Yes, I think so." Finally, he stopped and spun her around to face him.

"I love you, Rachel; I always will." The tender kiss that followed made all worries melt away. Yes, she had made the right choice. Nothing could break them apart.

_A/N: Well, it's a bit later than I thought I would get this out, but plans got in the way. So, this chapter, loved and hated it at the same time. I like the sweetness of it, and wanted to re-enforce that Rachel and Harvey are defiantly together and why Rachel chose him, because that will be important later. Also, it was necessary to show her return to civilization. On the same note, there is a lack of Joker and it's not the most exciting scene in the world. So love it or hate it, let me know._

_Alex: This will be the last time I thank you personally. Turns out I'm not supposed to do this, but do know that I appreciate your reviews. Of course I could not let the story get sappy that soon; we still have Mr. White Knight here to deal with! And rememeber, Rachel is a person of morals, it will take a lot for her to start seeing on the same page as Mr. J. We still have a looong way to go with this._


	7. Chapter 7

Joker fell back onto the sofa utterly exhausted. He had had a very productive week. Monday, he held up a bank, and blew up another. Tuesday, he drove a semi three miles down the freeway going the wrong at 80 miles an hour. That had been quite fun, and the battle with Batman was even better. Batsy had been out for revenge judging by the size of his bruises. Wednesday had been a quite day, just laying dynamite under fifth street (thank goodness for sewers) and ridding the world of a few Batman impersonators. Thursday, held a Kindergarten classroom hostage while proceeding to blow up Fifth street and escaping in the chaos. Friday, he fiddled with a few of his inventions. Batman was getting cleverer and if he wanted to really be a threat, he needed to remain unpredictable. Besides, if you read the comic books, all supervillains had nifty technology and gadgets, so he did too. Then again, with that logic he should be running around in spandex. Hmmm... he could probably pull it off, though his dignity would be lost forever. No, he would stick with his suit. Finally, today he had just pulled a few shenanigans, caused a bit of tomfoolery. It was nothing big, just enough to keep the officials running in circles. He laughed as he stretched his wary muscles. Yes, he had had a very good week.

He sighed and absent-mindedly scratched at his cheek. He'd burnt gotten a bit of a sunburn last week and he was beginning to peel. He started wiping paint off his fingers, before realizing that he had just broken his one rule. You do not let anyone see your real face. If it is hit off, that is fine because it shows toughness, but something like itching, something so weak and common, NO! He had to correct this situation, but he was quite aways from his room to reapply the paint, and he honestly could not bare another second with it on. He would need to find an opportunity to ditch the boys. And luck was on his side, for a ruckus drew his attention from his dilemma to a fight outside. He casually opened the door and leaned against the frame, covering the blemish with his left hand.

"What is this gentlemen?" he asked pleasently. The sound of his voice halted the tussle. "I have had a long week, and cannot relax knowing that anyone within a five mile radius can hear you. Do you want to bring the cops down on us?" They men muttered a weak 'no' and looked down ashamed. They were like children being caught with their hands in a cookie jar. Oh, fear was a wonderful tool! "That's wonderful news, glad to know we're on the same page then. Now, to make sure this does not happen again, out!" He received five very confused looks. Suddenly, they no longer understood English.

"Sir, it won't happen again. Please-" He was cut off as an elongated gun barrel was stuck in his face.

"I said out," he hissed dangerously. These were the intelligent ones of the group, and they knew he would kill them if he felt the need to. Without another word, they ran out of sight. Just to get his point across, he pulled the trigger so a loud bang and a flag was emitted. His flag gun, it was his favorite childhood memory. With a giggle, he waved the flag around before pushing it back in. He had saved his allowance for a month to get this and had had such a good time with it. Despite his dislike of guns, this did humor him. Maybe he could put it to some good use. After all, a gun did come in handy at times. The door slammed somewhere in the distance and he was alone.

He dropped his hand and made his way into the bathroom and proceeded to wash off the paint. It was a time consuming job as the paint was actually quite stubborn when wet. It would have been easier to just wipe it off, but the water was soothing to the burn and it got more dead skin off. It would not do to have lumps in his paint. Once the paint was off, he patted his skin dry and leaned in close to the mirror to inspect his scars. The scar tissue was smooth and harder than the rest of his face. Directly off the corner of his mouth the skin was flat and normal, but around the incision mark, it was raised and bumpy. A momentary flash of anger shot through him, but he suppressed that. It had been three years and the one behind it was dead. It was time to let it go.

He sighed and headed for his room, changed into a purple t-shirt and green lounge pants then headed back to the sitting room, resuming his previous position. He was not really tired anymore, but did not want to do anything, so he flipped on the news. Maybe he would be on it again today!

"Our hopes and prayers go out to their families. Back to you Jim," the reporter signed off. So he had just missed the tail end of his story. That was fine with him; the follow up stories were always so dull and contrived with their false sympathy. No, the first day was always the best.

"Thank you Susan. That is truly awful. On a lighter note though, Defense Attorney Harvey Dent and newly recovered Assistant D.A. Rachel Dawes are finding something to celebrate in these dark times. In an interview today to discuss her recent captivity at the hands of the notorious Joker, it was discovered that she and Mr. Dent are planning on tying the knot sometime next summer. Here's a clip for you." Joker smiled at the glowing Miss Dawes, but not because he was happy to hear the news, but because this would simply make his plans easier. With Rachel gone, Harvey would snap like a twig.

And speaking of Rachel, he needed to pay her a little visit. In all this bliss she may have forgotten about their agreement and let something slip, not that she knew all that much, or anything really, but she needed to stay afraid of him. Plus, he had perfected his tracking device and needed someone to test it on. Just place it in contact with the skin and it would mold itself to the host until he signaled it to fall away. Although he had a mental grip on Rachel and he probably would not need this, it never hurt to have a little back-up. With this happy thought, he allowed himself to be claimed by sleep and drifted into happy dreams of bombs and bats.

_A/N: Again, another short chapter. I wanted to write this although I did not really need it. Someone mentioned that it was odd that he just let her go, and I thought this might explain that. Plus, who doesn't like an all Joker chapter! It also reveals a little of what has been going on in Gotham as we knew he was planning on being busy. Also, you may notice that I begin to blend Ledger's Joker with the comic book a bit in the way of some of his toys and what not, and hopefully that does not bother anyone. My thinking is that Batman Begins was the start of Batman, so The Dark Knight was like the start of Joker. He'll eventually get somewhere near there, but still be extremely dark. I just really like the Bang Gun! Well, please review, though I don't think I have to ask._


	8. Chapter 8

Getting up to Rachel's apartment was a piece of cake. The receptionist was probably the most unobservant person in the world so sedating her was a no-brainer. The halls were clear and Rachel's name was listed on the call box. The good Lord could not have made this any easier. In fact, the only hard part was willing himself to open to door. As soon as he got on the floor, his ears were berated by an off-key rendition of Alice Cooper's _Maniacs In Love_. Sure enough, Rachel was having a private karaoke session. Well, hopefully private, or she had some truly twisted friends who made him look like a decent human being if they would let her keeping shrieking like that. He thought of knocking, but decided against that for two reasons: she probably wouldn't hear, and it would be too much fun to barge in on this scene. He pushed the door open and burst out laughing.

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To say that Rachel was mortified was the understatement of the century. She, Gotham's Asst. D.A., had just been caught singing, badly, old 80's rock songs while standing on her couch like a child, dressed in Harvey's old baseball jersey and her underwear. Had her friends caught her, this could have been a funny situation. If Harvey had caught her, he would have laughed, she would be embarrassed, and then he would make a witty comment to make her feel better. Even if it had been a colleague, it would have been forgettable. But no, she had to be caught like this by THE JOKER! Here she was, someone he was supposed to fear, someone he was already blackmailing (in a sense) being caught in a very vulnerable state. This just sucked no matter how you looked at it.

She paused her I-pod and got off the couch, pulling her shirt down as far as it would go. Thankfully it was too long, but it was still shorter than she would have liked. She have contemplated running and grabbing some pants, but figured that it would be bad to just walk away from the Joker. She waited for him to stop laughing, but he had really gotten a kick out of the sight of her. Tears were beginning to roll down his face and make the black circles around his eyes smear. She felt her face burn red.

"Alright, it wasn't that funny!" she finally yelled in her defense. He nodded and calmed himself down, dabbing at the lingering moisture.

"My apologizes Miss Dawes, but that was the most painful sight I have ever seen. If I ever wanted to take over Gotham, I would just need to broadcast that sight. Everyone would die laughing," he teased her. She flushed an even deeper shade of red.

"So, have you come to kidnap me for whatever you had planned?" she asked figuring that would be the only reason he would come. He sighed and shook his head.

"My dear Rachel, we must work on your conversation skills. But to answer your question, no I am not. I am merely returning your call. You stopped by my place, I figured I would repay it with a little visit of my own." Rachel let out a breath she had been holding. She still had time.

"Uh, have a seat," she indicated for him to sit down. If he wanted to play the game of civility, she would play along. She sat down, but found that the shirt was just too short. No matter now much she pulled it down, it would not go over her legs, so she sank as deep as possible into the couch and crossed her arms firmly across her lap. As it turned out, the Joker was not too well informed on civil protocol. When visiting a new acquaintance's house, you sat in a chair, or on a different couch as the hostess, not right next to them! Rachel was right against the far arm, there was plenty of room for him to keep some distance between them, but he chose to sit only a foot from her! She pressed herself as far into the arm as possible.

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He smirked at her obvious discomfort. Not only was she barely clothed, but he was too close for normal protocol. It would help add to her disliking of him.

"Well, I do believe congratulations are in order. Congratulations, and do pass along my happy wishes to dear Harvey next time you see him," he requested. Rachel murmured 'thanks' and said she would though they both knew she would not. "Though, I must say," he continued on a darker, more thoughtful note, "that this hardly seems to the time to be committing yourself to one guy. Who knows, Harvey might not be around that much longer." At least not the Harvey she knew. Rachel paled at his comment.

"You won't hurt him! Batman has always foiled your plans before hand. He'll save Harvey before you can get to him," she argued, though her tone said she was still trying to convince herself of that. He smiled menacingly and wet his lips.

"Don't count on it Beautiful. Speaking of Batboy, how did he take your engagement? That must have killed him, knowing his _wonderful_ Rachel has given up on him. And are you ready to fully commit yourself to just one man for the _rest of your life_? I mean, as a woman of... what 28, you've hardly experienced the world. What if Mr. Right comes along in a year or so? What are you going to do, break it off or sneak around behind the hubby's back?" Now he was just winding her up and the look on her face, a mix of shock, outrage, and fear, was just too funny to resist. This was clearly a weak spot for her, something that probably knotted her insides with guilt. He loved being able to read people so easily!

"I... I'll have you know Mr. Joker, that I am a very... honest and thoughtful person! If I were to ever lose the feelings I now have for Mr. Dent then I would be frank with him and save us many years of unhappiness. I would never sneak around his back. And before you say that I have been doing anything with Batman, well I will have you know that there is nothing there. Yes, we dated at one point, but I broke it off. He took it very graciously and gives us his blessing. Besides, there are plenty of women younger than myself who get married and remain so for many decades. Please, re-frame from speaking on things that you know not about!" she half yelled at him. He chuckled a bit.

"Oh Rachel," he sighed, putting an arm around her much to her displeasure, "you are so young and naive. You've probably lived a sheltered life, and here comes Harvey Dent, the image of safty. He may look safe, but eventually he'll bore you. Someday, you'll long for a little excitement," he told her, running his fingers into her hair. She froze, and he pulled her closer to him. He leaned in and felt her stop breathing, confusion etched in her every feature. "Believe me, I know. Young fiery women like you get stuck with a dud and end up falling into the hands of exciting, though dangerous, men like... like me. It'll happen to you too, someday," he murmured in her ear. Rachel's brain finally caught up with her and she pushed him away and moved over to the farthest chair. He laughed again, darker than the ones before. She was so much fun to play with. She was wound up so quickly, but subdued with the simplest of things. It made him laugh. He was thankful for this. If she was not so easily distracted it would have been hard for him to get the tracking device on her. It had not gone on as easily as he had planned. Turns out in needed to be positioned totally flat against her head, and if he had not been able to look at it as closely as he had... Oh well, it was on now and he doubted that Rachel cleaned thoroughly behind her ears so she would not find the little dot now residing there.

"Sir," she addressed him coldly. Apparently she had not appreciated his little game. "If you simply came by to offer your blessings, then you have done so, and I ask you to leave. If not, then please get to the point quickly." Oho, this little puppy had teeth! Defiantly not the sweet little girl she had been ten minutes ago.

"Well, if you insist. So, have you told Harvey about our secret?" he asked bluntly. Rachel stared at him. He was good. She had believed he was already listening in on her! Perfect. Well, she might have a false sense of security now and feel she could tell all now. Good thing he had figured out how to fit a tiny radio in there. He could get some good blackmail material for later.

"Of course not! I mean... you didn't already know?" she asked curiously. He shrugged.

"My thugs can't follow you everywhere of course. I just wanted to make sure. Being the terrible liar that you are, I knew I would know be able to tell if you weren't telling me everything. I want to make sure that it stays that way. I swear to you Miss Dawes, if you tell anyone, I will know, and I will change everything so that no one knows what will happen. There will be no heads up and you may have condemned him to a worse fate," he threatened hollowly. No matter what she told him, it would not change anything, but it would add to an amazing guilt trip later! "Do you understand?" Rachel, her eyes wide, nodded vigorously.

"I-I understand," she confirmed verbally. His expression lightened and he hopped up.

"Excellent. Well, I will go now. If you ever plan on getting that record label, you definately need to practice more. Good night Miss Dawes," and without another word, he left the room.

_A/N: So, I generally do not like posting two chapters in one day, but I was so excited about this chapter I just had to. I've never actually written a chapter in this short amount of time. It usually takes a whole day to get a chapter out. Hope you enjoyed!_


	9. Chapter 9

Rachel paced her apartment thinking in circles over what she should do. She knew that the Joker had been planning on using her to get to Bruce, but she had had a feeling that he was really going after Harvey. After all, no one can just switch targets that fast especially as Batman was the obvious target all along and still he had wanted Harvey assassinated before Batman. But now she had confirmation. He had let it slip to her that Harvey was the real target, though she did not know more than that. For all she knew, they could both be on his hit list, and knowing that they both were attracted to her, he might try and take them out at the same time. She had to tell them, to warn them, but his threat held her back. He said that if she were to tell anyone, Harvey would suffer an even worse fate and she could not do that. She would rather have him killed quickly than suffer a slow painful one because of her. Then again, he had not known if she had told prior to their meeting. Who says he has to know now? On the flip side though, being in her apartment gave him the opportunity to bug her place, and if he could freely walk in here, he might have managed a way to wire her office too.

She had to tell them though, but no were seemed free. If it was a public place, the trailer would have be able to listen in. Wayne Manor was an option, but it would seem strange for her to go there to talk to Harvey and if Batman knew too much, then the Joker would know Batman's identity. Then again, she could call him, call Batman that is, and ask him to meet here somewhere... like Harvey's and then nothing would be blown. Would Harvey's be a safe place though? No, it would be too predictable. Besides, breaking in there would be easy. Harvey lived in his office nowadays. She stopped and hope flooded her features. Harvey's office! There was no way the Joker could have gotten in there. Plus, it was neutral grounds that Batman could easily access without anyone giving it a second thought. She ran and grabbed her phone. First she called Harvey. It would be best to have a time set with him considering he was providing the location.

"Hello?" his voice came on.

"Harvey, are you busy?" she asked quickly. The sooner this was done the better.

"No more than usual. Why is everything all right?" he worried. She sighed in relief. That meant he was just doing paperwork and reading files.

"Yeah, could I stop my in, say, half an hour?"

"Sure, of course, but wh-" She hung up. It was probably rude and at the moment he would be staring at the receiver aghast at such behavior, but she needed to get this done quickly before anyone could interfere. She dialed Bruce's cell number and waited for him to pick up.

"Rachel, what's up?" he answered.

"I need you to meet me at Harvey's office in half an hour, suited up. I need to meet with Batman," she told him.

"What's going on Rachel?" he asked, his voice switching to the more strained sound he used when he was in disguise. Clearly, he got the message.

"Nothing right now, but I don't know for how much long that will be. Please, don't be late."

"Alright, I'll be there. Be careful Rach," he warned her and hung up. She ended the call and went about getting ready.

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The Joker gave a happy squeal and clapped his hands together. Rachel had taken the bait! He had lured her into a false sense of security and now she was setting herself up for the guilt trip of her life. What more, she knew he was listening, or a part of her did, and she still wanted to act. This pretty thing would have a break down to rival lover boy's after he was through with her!

A strange noise came over the radio and he turned the volume up trying to figure out what it was when Rachel's cheese-grater singing burst through. He hastily turned the volume down and glared at the wall. Great, she liked to sing in the shower. At least he would not make that mistake again. You would have thought that she would have learned after yesterday's little incident. Clearly, this woman was too confident for her own good. He did not like this; his toys were not allowed to be nearly as self-assured as he was of himself. He spun in his swivel chair and stared up at the ceiling. The next thirty minutes would be so boring! Nothing interesting was going on with Rachel and his thugs were out recruiting. His plan was big and he regrettably needed more than five people to pull it off. Huh, this was exciting.

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"So what's this about?" Bruce asked for the two of them.

"You sounded worried on the phone," Harvey added. Rachel swallowed as her mouth ran dry. Suddenly she was wondering if this was the best idea. What if this is what he had been planning and she had just condemned all three of them to death? Oh that was ridiculous! There was no way he could have known what she would do. It's not like he could see the future or anything.

"Uh, when I told Gordon that I didn't know what the Joker was planning, that wasn't entirely true," she admitted. "I don't know any specifics, but I do know his intended targets, or I think I do." She stopped and took a deep breath, not sure how to tell them. "Originally, he was only going after you, Batman, or that's what he told me. He had figured out what was going on between us and was hoping to use that to lure you to him. However, everyone knew he wanted you dead Harvey, and I could not imagine that he would just give you up that quickly. Call it intuition or whatever you want, but I knew you had a part to play in this. Last night, he confirmed it. Both of your lives may be in danger," she told them solemnly.

"What do you mean, he told you last night?" Bruce asked confused.

"He broke into my apartment to make sure I hadn't told you before, then to warn me that Harvey's fate would be worse if I did tell. I just could not sit there and do nothing. Are you all right with that?" she asked her fiance, considering it was his life she might have just made worse. He smiled lightly and her and took her hand, earning a small growl from Bruce.

"Of course, this gives us something to work off of now and when this thing happens, it will help us think more rationally and improve our chances of survival," he assured her. Bruce nodded in agreement.

"You did the right thing," he reiterated. "I'll let Gordon know and we can height security for you two." He stood to leave, obviously uncomfortable being around them now. Rachel felt a sharp tug in heart knowing this was so painful for him..

"Listen," she stopped him. "When it happens, promise me you'll think objectively about it. Don't do anything rash," she pleaded with him. Harvey gave a half laugh, probably finding it funny that she would be warning Batman of being irrational. She ignored him; he did not know Bruce like she did.

"I promise," he answered softly. She smiled back at him and let him leave.

"I can't believe you just did that," Harvey told her incredulously once the dark knight was gone.

"Yeah, well you don't know Batman like I do," she promised him. Harvey nodded and gave her a skeptical look.

"Apparently not. So what was going on between you two?" he questioned. Rachel smiled and moved to snuggle close to him. She needed to know he was fine.

"Nothing. He was just a jealous ex-boyfriend who is still hoping I'll see the light and come running back to him," she down played. Harvey looked down at her and cocked and eyebrow.

"Do I have some competition?" he asked only half-seriously.

"Not anymore."

XXXXXXXXX

Joker stuck a finger down his throat and gagged. That was just sickeningly sweet and too lovey-dovey for his standards. He'd rather chop off his foot then listen to them be all gaa-gaa for each other. He hated romance stuff. It if was not for the good of his ego and his love of the theatrical, he would storm in there and shoot them right now for torturing his eardrums with their nonsense. Oh well, just two more weeks and he would get his revenge and a bag of chips. He could wait till then. He flipped the radio off. He had all he needed.

_A/N: So I was not actually going to update today, but figured what the heck? I have it planned out and I don't feel like going to bed. Well, tell me what you thought. Thanks again to everyone who reviewed. Your reviews drive the updates._


	10. Chapter 10

"Boss, the new recruits are here. You wanna see them now?" Queasy poked his head in. The Joker sighed and spun to face the clown. He had mixed feelings about this. He _did _want to see them and weed out anyone incompetent right away, but that also meant leaving the radio and what if he missed something important? He tapped his foot impatiently as he pondered the situation. Oh what the heck, she was just visiting Bruce Wayne, her old friend, and it's not like there would be anything worth hearing. Probably just a bunch of "Good to see you, how's your mom?" stuff. Besides, he needed to let the newbies know who was in charge. Ego was not a good thing to have when one worked for him.

"Sure, round 'em up," he answered, hopping to his feet. Little did he know, this was the one conversation he did not want to miss.

XXXXXXXXX

"Good afternoon, Rachel. It's wonderful to see you again," Alfred greeted her at the door. She smiled warmly at the elderly butler who had always been so kind to her. She saw him as a sort of uncle figure nowadays.

"It's good to see you too. How are things going?" she inquired as they walked to the private living room.

"Not terrible, but busier than normal. Mr. Wayne has been so worried with this Joker on the loose. It will be a miracle when he's safely behind bars. I might finally take a day off then," he joked. She laughed a bit. It was hard to imagine Alfred taking a vacation. He was always here.

"Do that and you might give the poor man a heart attack!" she joked back.

"Yes, that would be bad. I rather like my job now. I don't suppose you and Mr. Dent would need a butler should such an occasion occur? Congratulations by the way," he remembered. She blushed and looked down at her feet. No matter how many times this happened, she did not like the attention.

"Thank you. I would not recommend us. You'd be terribly bored," she answered his question. There was silence as Rachel wondered whether or not to ask the question that plagued her mind. "How has Bruce been with this news? I'm sure it was not easy for him to hear. He seemed fine at our meeting, but I could tell it was awkward for him," she recalled nervously. Alfred's expression turned a bit grimmer at the question.

"It was a mixed reaction. He was upset about it, but happy that you were happy. It was not unexpected, especially given what you had said at the fundraiser. And don't you go feeling guilty on me. It's your life and clearly Bruce was not the one for you. Give him time, and he'll get over it," he assured her. She smiled and hugged him; it did make her feel better to hear that.

"I'm not interrupting anything am I?" Bruce asked as he bounded into the room. Alfred let her go and stood.

"Of course not Mr. Wayne. I was just leaving," the butler answered and left. Bruce smiled at Rachel and sat down across from her.

"Thanks for coming," he finally said for lack of a better opener.

"No problem, I like seeing you. Besides, it would be rather rude to not return the favor. You came when I called last week, I should do the same," she explained more than she really had to.

"Yeah about that, uh, that's why I called you here in the first place. I wanted to apologize if I made you feel... uncomfortable. That wasn't my intention and I am really happy for you," he admitted. Rachel smiled sadly and moved to sit next to him, taking his hand in hers.

"No, you didn't and it's fine. I should actually be the one apologizing. I shouldn't have put you two together like that, not this soon anyways. I basically flaunted our relationship in front of you. That was cruel," she confessed. She felt tears prick her eyes. "Bruce, I should not have lead you on like that. I knew for a long time that we would never be together again, but I still kept you waiting. I am so sorry. That probably made this so much worse for you."

"Rachel, no, it's my fault," he corrected her, gently tipping her chin up to look at him. "I should have let you go. You were... are happy with Harvey, and he's a good man. You were right, I was using you as hope for a normal life, something I'm not meant to lead. And look, I might have just placed you in an even more dangerous situation," he worried.

"No," she asserted, "don't you think that. Even if you had let me go, I would still be in this position. You're not the only one he's trying to get. If anything, you've saved someone else from getting wrapped up in this. Don't you dare feel guilty about this Bruce Wayne." He smiled crookedly.

"You're a wonderful friend Rachel. You always manage to see the good side of a situation." She smiled lightly back at him, appreciative of the compliments. "So tell me, how did Harvey take to knowing that he was competing with Batman for your affections," he tried to make light of the situation.

"He was appropriately shocked and admitted that he had not expected this when Alfred mentioned my psychotic ex-boyfriends," she informed him humorously. Bruce developed a look of hurt.

"He called my psycotic? That's not very nice. Wait, does Harvey know who I am now?" he asked worried. Rachel shook her head. He might have some idea, but there was no evidence to support it.

"Would it matter if he did though? We're all on the same side, and I'm sure he wouldn't give you away to the Joker. Also doubt he's about to go crazy and try and off you. But yeah, I doubt he knows," she assured him. Bruce nodded, pleased with her answer. They sat in silence when something occurred to Rachel.

"Bruce, if you had to chose between saving me and saving Harvey, who would you pick?" she asked knowing that this would not be an unlikely situation for him to face.

"You of course!" he answered without a seconds thought. She sighed. He had promised to think logically. "Was I not suppose to say that?" he inquired seeing the fall of her expression.

"You said you would think before acting. Harvey would be the reasonable choice to make. The city needs him more than me," she argued. Besides, she did not want to face a lifetime without him now. Bruce sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I don't know if I could do that Rachel. I couldn't live knowing I'd let you die," he confessed.

"Then don't think of it as that. Think of it as my last wish. I want to you promise me that if you are ever in such a situation that you'll pick Harvey," she told him seriously. he looked away, but promised her reluctantly. She smiled and hugged him. It would be hard for him, but it was what she thought was best. Just then, her watch beeped, signalling she had to leave.

"Sorry, but I have to get back to work. Lunch breaks over," she explained. Bruce nodded and walked her to the door. "Sorry this ended on such a depressing note," she apologized.

"Don't worry about it. Just come over sometime and we'll make sure it's happier then," he told her. She told him she would and walked to her car.

XXXXXXXXX

Joker came back in and wiped his knife on an old towel. Overall his minions had done a good job, but there were a few that just did not reach the IQ requirement. They were taken care of though. He was pleased. All they needed now was a few trucks, some more explosives, and he would be good to go! Things were working out quite nicely.

"...we'll make sure it's happier then," Bruce's voice came on.

"Of course. See you then," Rachel answered and began humming. Aw, he'd missed a depressing conversation. That might have been interesting to hear. Oh well, it was probably nothing. He imagined it might have had something to do with the little love triangle they had been involved in. That might have actually been painful to listen to. No, he was glad he had missed it.

_A/N: Hehe, a bit of situational irony for you. Poor Joker, karma is a pain isn't it? So, I was planning on making this our turning point scene, but someone requested a bit more RachelxBruce interation and decided that jumping ahead two weeks was a bit of a stretch. Plus, this allowed some foreshadowing. Alright, so if anyone was hoping for an action packed chapter, I'm sorry to say that you will not be getting one. I do not write action, it's something I just cannot do. Also as a warning, you will notice next chapter that some details will be off. I only saw the movie once, so bear with me. _


	11. Chapter 11

Harvey stood at the window overlooking Gotham and watched the flashing lights and heard the sirens as they headed to where a series of explosions had gone off just moments before. From what he'd heard, the Joker had caused quite a mess, something involving semis and a police transfer, however Gordon had called him and said they now had the madman in custody and that he could come down tomorrow to begin working on a case. He found it rather silly to waste money on a trial. Everyone knew he was guilty; the only thing that matter was whether or not the insanity plea would be accepted. Again, everyone knew he was insane, no normal human could do these things, but he had a feeling people would find a way to prove sanity and have him fried. While he was not a violent man, and the death penalty was not his favorite thing, he would sleep better at night knowing that the Joker was gone for good.

He sighed and grabbed his jacket and briefcase to head downstairs. His car had been damaged last night and he did not think it was safe to walk home so he had called a taxi. Rachel had protested his decision to use public transportation, claimed it was dangerous, but he figured that if someone did try and hijack the cab he could take care of himself. After all, he had taken self defense classes as a kid and he was pretty good. Turns out being a wimp had its advantages. He was not totally helpless despite what she thought.

"Evenin' Mr. Dent," the driver greeted him through the window.

"And to you," he responded as he hopped in the back seat. "Listen, get me home in under twenty minutes and you'll get the tip of your life." He was tired and just wanted to go to bed. He'd slept terribly the last few nights.

"Sorry Sir, but I got my orders already." Of course, take the longest, most traffic-laden route for the most money. Oh well, as long as he got home in one piece. "You ain't gonna make it home." Harvey looked up in confusion but never got a chance to do anything else as a tranquilizer dart pierced his neck. His body fell limp and his vision darkened.

XXXXXXXXX

The hairs on the back of Rachel's neck were tingling like crazy. With the chaos downtown, it would be easy for the Joker to capture her. The news said that he had been arrested, but she still worried. The phone rang a few times and then Harvey's voice mail answered. This was the fifth time she had tried to call him. She hung up and dialed Gordon's number.

"Lt. Gordon speaking," the officer answered. His voice was heavy and worn. No doubt this had been a stressful night for him.

"Gordon, it's Rachel. Have you talked to Harvey recently?" she asked nervously. Her pinkie nail would probably never be the same again and her floor was going to have travel damage by the time this was done, but she did not care.

"About half an hour ago to fill him in on the situation. Why?"

"He's not answering the phone. I called five times, and nothing. I think-" She trailed off as the sound of a gun being cocked came from behind her.

"Hang up the phone," a gruff voice commanded. She turned slowly to look down the barrel of a gun.

"Rachel, you still there?" Gordon called frantically.

"I have to go," she told him eerily calm. She had been expecting this to happen for a month so it was no surprise. Gordon's protests sounded from the receiver, but she cut them off as she snapped the phone shut. "It's time then." The clown did not answer, but grabbed her roughly and forced a cloth over her mouth. The smell of chloroform filled her senses and she felt herself drift into unconsciousness.

XXXXXXXXX

Batman landed on the station roof with a nearly silent thud. Lt. Gordon stood near the bat signal, his back to him and arms folded across his chest. He approached the officer silently as he normally did.

"What is it Lt.?" Lt. Gordon turned, his face grim, and the shadows that crossed it made him seem even older.

"Actually, it's Commissioner as of five minutes ago," he corrected him. "Commissioner Loeb was killed in the crossfire."

"Sorry to hear that, but you'll do well. So what is it, Commissioner?" he asked again. Gordon sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Harvey's missing, and considering how Rachel hung up on me, she is too. I'd bet anything the Joker's behind this. I've tried talking to him, but he won't say anything. After what you told me, he probably will only speak to you," he told him. Batman did not say anything else, but stalked past him to the interrogation room.

The room was small and tiled in white tile. A single light-bulb provided the lighting, but it was either too dim or too bright, he was not sure, but it irritated the eyes. In the center sat the Joker. His back was to him and he was whistling to himself. He slammed the door shut, his fury taking control of him. He crossed the space in two steps and was right behind him.

"Hello Batsy." His voice triggered the last of his control. He grabbed the clown by the hair and smashed his head into the table. Instead of yelling, the Joker just laughed. Batman walked around so that he now faced him. Some of the paint on his forehead had rubbed off and revealed his red skin.

"Where are they?" he growled.

"Don't you know you never go straight for the head, because then they don't feel your next blow," he giggled, avoiding the question. Batman snarled and pounded the Joker's hand into the table. "See, I didn't feel that!" he laughed.

"Where are they?" he repeated louder. The Joker flexed his hand to ensure that everything was working properly.

"I know not who you refer to. Remember, I've been locked up here!" he sassed. That's it. Time to revert to the hard stuff. He hauled the Joker out of his chair and threw him into the wall, which he bounced off of only to connect with his fist. He did not laugh this time, but fell onto the floor. His forehead and lip were bleeding, giving him an even more deranged look. He licked his lips and sighed as if he were bored.

"What time is it?" he asked. Batman growled in frustration.

"What does it matter?" he yelled.

"Well, they could be in one place... one place for each person that is, don't want to make it too easy, or they could be in multiple places. So I recommend you tell me what time it is," the Joker instructed. He sighed. They couldn't have been in here for more than five minutes.

"About eight."

"Then you still have time. Mr. Dent's at 1220 Roosevelt Ave. and Miss Dawes is at 502 Ludwig Blvd. If you make it, you can save one of them. But don't think you can save both Batboy. Oh, and if you don't make it there in the next, oh ten minutes, you lose both of them" he warned. "You see, you must choose. Save one, and the other dies. There's no way around it. So, who's it gonna be?" Bruce froze and stared at the clown. He wasn't lying. That's one of the things you could count on the Joker not to do. He had to make that choice. He knew he had promised Rachel to save Harvey, but... but what if he could save them both. If he could send Gordon after Harvey, then he could get them both out. It was worth a shot. Rachel would forgive him if not. He turned and burst through the door.

"Who are you going to save?" Gordon called after him, reading his mind.

"Rachel," he called back. He heard Gordon radio all cars to meet at Roosevelt, but he did not care. He had to get to Rachel soon.

XXXXXXXXX

"Or was it the other way around?" Joker asked himself mischievously earning a disapproving look from the officer that now stood watch at the door. "Oh well, it won't really matter." A giggle bubbled up out of his throat and the officer shivered impulsively. He licked his lips again. So far everything had gone to plan. He now had to act fast, this would be the most risky part, or everything would fall apart.

"I don't suppose I could get my phone call now, could I?" he asked. The police officer looked down at him and sneered. It was not an unexpected reaction; he wasn't on the best terms with the police, but it did go against policy and he did not like that. His lips stretched into a conspiratorial grin and he tilted his head back. "So, how many of your friends have I killed now?" It was a risky move to provoke him, being armed and all, but it was necessary.

The guard clearly knew he shouldn't respond, but the question was so simple and he knew he would ask again until he got an answer. He sighed and turned his head away. "Six." He tapped his foot in an irritated manner. Someone was having an internal battle.

"You know, when you go to kill someone, you learn who the brave are, and who the cowards are." He paused and wet his lips and let the smile get bigger. The guard looked back at him from the corner of his eye. "Do you want to know how many of your friends were cowards?" The battle was lost and the guard charged forward. Clearly he had not expected him to be in such good shape after Batman's beating, so when he sprung up, the guard did not know how to react. He smashed his head against the wall just hard enough to render him unconscious. He liked this guy; he was corruptible. He leaned down and searched the guy's pockets to find a cell phone. Thankfully, this guy was up with the times and he did not disappoint. The Joker walked out of the tiny room and made his way to the exit as he dialed the number. Good thing one of his recruits had been crazy already; he wasn't going to live much longer with a bomb in his stomach.

The phone rang four times and a great explosion wracked the building. He fell into a wall from the explosion, but was otherwise unaffected. People ran past him, hardly noticing that their top criminal was just walking out of the building. Outside his get away car was waiting. This hadn't been to bad after all.

XXXXXXXXX

Her senses were groggy and her head hurt, but at least she was awake. Rachel's eyes fluttered open but her vision was blurry. She blinked a few times and allowed the room to come into focus. She was tied to a chair and what she could see, wires led from it the oil (or gas) canister behind her. The entire room was filled with this giant canisters and there was an odd devise on the ropes that connected her to her chair. In front of her, there was a walkie-talkie with the button taped down so she could talk through it.

"H-hello?" she uttered weakly. She cleared her raw throat (chloroform was a nasty thing) and tried again. Nothing happened. "Can anyone hear me?" She called louder. "If anyone is there, please answer me!" she pleaded, her voice cracking. She moaned and looked up at the ceiling in desperation. She needed to know what was happening. "Hello?" she yelled. A small noise came from the walkie-talkie and it filled her with hope. "Hello, is someone there?" she called optimistically.

"Rachel?" Harvey's voice distantly answered. She felt her heart sink. They did have Harvey, and now she would die. She felt tears sting her eyes, but reminded herself that it was for the best of the city. She could at least die knowing that Harvey was safe and her last act granted the people a safer life. "Rachel, is that you?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's me Harvey. Are you alright?" she called back.

"Physically, but they have me tied up to some barrel things, oil or gas canisters, I'm not sure, and they're like a detonator looking thing on my chest, a bomb behind me. What about you?" So he was in the same situation.

"Same here, but don't worry Harvey, help is on the way. You'll be fine," she assured him, and it was not a lie either.

"I don't think so Rach. They'll come for you. He loves you, and I'm just the competition," he argued weakly. She could tell him, but he would not understand and she did not want their last minutes together to be filled with conflict.

"And I think you're wrong. You're most valuable to the city," she countered. There was silence. What did one say in such a situation? Good-byes might be a good thing. Who knew how long they had. "I love you, Harvey," she told him, tears beginning to spill over.

"I love you too, but don't start talking like that. Maybe we can find a way to get out. It looks like there's a rough pipe near by. Maybe I can cut the rope. Then they'll have to save you!" he reasoned. The noises of wood scraping on concrete filled the radio, followed by a crash. "Harvey? Harvey what happened?" she called frantically.

"Rachel, it's fine. I just... no! No!" his pitiful cries called to her.

"Harvey!" she cried back as an explosion caused the line to go dead. Bruce had gone back on his word. He had chosen her! She kicked and screamed in frustration. This wasn't suppose to happen.

"Shut up!" the Joker yelled harshly as he stalked into the room. He quickly cut away her ropes and threw her, still screaming, over his shoulder.

"Harvey, no," she whimpered even as he tossed her into the back of a police car. That should have been her.

XXXXXXXXX

Gasoline ran down the right side of his face and filled his mouth. He couldn't get up, he couldn't get out. He knew it would be Rachel they saved, it had to be. Still, if only he could have gotten out, then maybe they both would have lived. It was useless dwelling on it. He was done for, but he would gladly forfeit his life for hers.

"Harvey? Harvey, what happened?" Rachel asked.

"Rachel, it's fine," he assured her. No matter how one looked at it, it was true what he said. His situation was okay, not great, not bad, just okay, and his imminent death was fine, not great, but not dreaded either. "I just-" the sound of a door flying open cut him off. She had been right. They had chosen him over her. Now she would die because of him.

"No," he protested, trying to get his rescuer to go away. A strong set of hands pulled his ropes and the detonator began to slip. "No!" he screamed louder. Why didn't they stop?

"Har-"Rachel cried back, but her voice fell silent as an explosion cut her off. She was gone, and it was his fault. He looked up to see Batman trying to pick him up. But he had loved her? Why? His mind shut down. His body moved on its own and helped Batman get him to his feet and his legs moved quickly as they ran out of the warehouse. He didn't feel anything; he didn't see, not until the explosion came. As they cleared the building, it exploded into a blaze of flame and the extreme heat sparked the gasoline on his face. His flesh sizzled away, blinding and paralyzing him. He fell to the ground and tried to make his hands fly up to his face, but the pain was too much. He barely felt himself being pulled to safety, but did register as water poured over him, which hurt possibly more than the fire. It was super heated and continued to burn where it ran. The pain spiked higher and higher, and finally he could not take it. He let the pain claim him and fell unconscious.

_A/N: Wow, 2,802 words. That's the longest yet! Nearly half on a normal chapter anyways. Yay! So, the moment we have been building up to. As you have noticed, it is quite similar to the movie, I even stole (possibly badly) some of the dialogue, but I wanted to keep it as close to cannon as possible. Naturally, I couldn't replicate it exactly and with the change in cannon, it was not possible. Hopefully you guys don't hate it. By the way, if you want to know how the Joker got arrested, just watch the movie, and instead of Harvey being in the police van, it's other random inmates and Joker just felt the need to create a diversion and wanted a good reason to be arrested. As I said, I don't do action scenes. PLEASE REVIEW!_


	12. Chapter 12

Her entire body shook as her emotions built up. For the last week she lay curled up in her corner, her eyes dead and unfocused, and her hands clenched painfully in her filthy hair. She had become gaunt and pale for refusing food and had not moved except to fulfill bodily needs and drink as her body refused to let her reject liquid. She had not cried; tears were not great enough for this pain. The pain, it was spiking steadily. It felt like someone was picking her apart from the inside slowly.

Harvey was dead. It was her fault. She had tried. She had told Bruce to save him and he hadn't. Obviously, he had failed to save Harvey. But then again, he hadn't saved her either. What if he had tried to save her? What if the Joker had seen this and killed him? Was another one of her friends dead because of her? How many people was she responsible for? Why hadn't God taken her instead? The world did not need her; they needed Harvey and they needed Batman; she needed them. Now she would have to live without them, knowing she was the reason they were dead.

A scream built up in her throat and she did not nothing to stop it. It came out high-pitched, tortured, and full of raw emotion. She screamed louder and louder until her throat was irritated and her lungs no longer contained air. She inhaled quickly and screamed again. Maybe if she screamed loud enough, it would reach heaven and God would be merciful enough to take her. Maybe, they would hear her and know she was sorry. She was so, so sorry. Tears began to streak down her face and her nails tore into her scalp, but this still did not allow the pain to escape. It stayed couped up inside her and ate away slowly.

XXXXXXXXX

'Finally!' Joker thought as Rachel's blood-curdling screams reached him. He had been waiting for this melt down. It meant she was returning to reality, but was still unstable enough to manipulate. Still, if he knew suffering, and he did, she would need a few more days for anything to really sink in, so he would have to wait until then. But there was always Dent he could play with. He didn't seem like the screaming type. More the wallow in self-agony and suffer as much non-self-inflicted pain possible. He currently had Mr. Dent's room number and a lovely nurse costume that unfortunately made his butt look big. He just wasn't meant to wear a dress. Well, if Commishhhioner Gordon wasn't dead in a few hours he would have to pay the hospital a little visit. He had decided that the hospital was too dangerous, far too many people dying there, and needed to be demolished. Heck, even if he was dead, he might destroy Gotham General anyway. That would be highly unexpected. The people now just needed to decide which guilt trip they wanted to take. He grinned widely and cackled. He was so evil!

XXXXXXXXX

The latest Joker video was replayed on GCN yet again. Bruce stared helplessly at the screen, wondering what in the world to do. Naturally, saving Gordon was the thing he wanted to do, but then again, the hospital was full of so many more people. He either had to sacrifice his friend or let hundreds of people die. Either way, he would be subjecting people to the same misery he felt. Why could he not get a break? Was it too much to ask that life just stopped for a few moments? Rachel, the love of his life, his oldest friend, was dead now, and Harvey, Gotham's true savior and his link to a normal life, was lieing in that hospital, about to be blown to bits for the second time. Not to mention he was torturing himself by refusing all treatment to his extensive burns, and would probably never return to normal. Listening to his fiance die had to have been a jarring event. Bruce had hardly been able to stand her funeral.

Footsteps came up behind him. Alfred placed a hand of comfort on his shoulder and squeezed, offering him what support he could. Bruce leaned forward and covered his worn face in his hands.

"I don't know what to do Alfred," he admitted. Was this his limit? Was this what Batman could not do?

"You don't have to do anything Bruce. The city won't turn on the Commisoner, not after everything he's done for them, and the hospital is evacuated. Batman can take the day off," the butler told him.

"Alfred," Bruce mumbled.

"Yes?"

"I don't think I can do this anymore," he confessed. This time, Alfred did not say 'I told you so.'

XXXXXXXXX

"Mr. Dent, you need surgery now. Your wounds are very vulnerable to infection and you need skin graphs," the doctor tried to persuade him again. Harvey swallowed sharply to try and get through the haze of pain that clouded his mind.

"No, no graphs, no surgery," he repeated for the millionth time that week. Unless they could make Rachel better, he would suffer, infection or other ways.

"Then let us at least give you morphine for the pain," the doctor pleaded. Burns were one of the most painful things to experience and the medic grimaced at the mere thought of what Harvey must be going through.

"No," he simply refused. His pain would continue until he had redeemed himself for living while Rachel died at the peak of her life. The doctor sighed and walked away. There was no doubt in his mind they would try and prove him insane, or incapable of thinking logically due to his compromised emotional state, but he would not willingly allow them to treat him. Besides, he was not in that much physical pain. The flames had eaten through a good portion of his face and the nerve damage lessened the pain. If it had been just surface damage, he would be in unbearable physical pain that would probably have sent him into shock. It probably felt like his emotional pain.

His heart had be torn to shreds with a dull knife a million times over. Someone was slowly clawing away at the rest of his body. Each hair was being plucked from his tender skin. He couldn't get rid of the pain; it had no where to go. He had woken at night with a damp eye, his right one being unable to produce excess tears, but that was his only method. Talking hurt. The exposed tendon was dry and fragile so screaming and sobbing was useless. He had been restrained to the bed, so he could not get up and hit something. He was literally trapped in his body, forced to wallow in a mix of grief and self-hatred. What had he done to deserve this? How had he sinned so terribly that God felt the need to punish him like this? He felt more tears come to his eye. Why couldn't he just die?

_A/N: I swear, this will be the shortest chapter I ever post! I just had this planned out and needed to get it off my mind. I was going to write the conversation between Harvey and Joker, but I just do not remember enough of what happened to do it justice. Yeah, it still won't be the same, but having that outline to work off of is nice. Hopefully I will be seeing the movie soon though, so it should not be too much longer. That does mean no update tomorrow though. Sorry. Honestly, I've been so focused on getting to that the last chapter, I don't know what to do in pt. 2. I have Rachel's story mapped out, Joker's is fairly set, a few vague places, and Harvey is still hanging out in left field. Sheesh. Maybe I should just have him get hit by a train. No? Alright, fine, be that way._


	13. Chapter 13

He walked into room 215. Harvey looked over at him, but nothing registered. Burn victims were often in extreme pain and something told him that Harvey was not treating his pain. He took a seat and pulled away the mask. The scars must have clicked in Harvey's mind because he began thrashing, trying to get hold of him, but he was thankfully restrained.

"Uh, hi," the Joker began in lecture. There was no time for pleasantries. The police would be here for their not-so-white knight. Actually, he was a tad crispy and holey, and not in the saintly way either. He would be more fittingly known as the extra crispy knight. Sounded like something off of a KFC menu. He wanted chicken now! Those blue eyes stared up at him with unadulterated hate. Perfect. "So, when you and... uh-" he trailed off, feigning ignorance as he shook his hair out from the wig.

"RACHEL!" Harvey angerilly, hatefully, loudly (take your pick) provided. He blinked and smacked his lips together with a barely-there appreciative nod.

"When you and Rachel were being abducted, I was sitting in Gordon's cell. I didn't know what was happening," he lied. This was becoming a nasty habit of his. He liked being known as a man of his word. Oh well, it was necessary.

"Your men, your orders," Dent chocked out.

"Technically, it was Gordon's men, Batman's orders. I just gave a little influence. By the way, I told Batman who was where; he chose, not me. Tell ya the truth, Rachel's death was terrible. I liked her, good card partner, singing left a bit to be desired though... Then there's you; I see something in you, but you're both too powerful to go left unnoticed. Believe me though, when I say it's nothing personal, I mean it. It's really nothing personal. Had you been back in Internal Affairs, I wouldn't pay you a lick of attention. Also, if you think about it, what happened really isn't my fault.

"Now, Gordon didn't listen to you in I.A. did he? He kept Maroni's men in there didn't he? Why, why didn't he listen to you?"

"Because he was trying to get rid of scum like you with what he had," he spat out.

"No, because you were no one and it worked for him at the time. Then you became someone and he didn't want to admit you were right. He didn't want to believe in Harvey Dent." He saw something flicker in Dent's eyes. It was working.

"Then Batman... he chose to save you, not Rachel. He loved Rachel! Now, I don't know about you, but something doesn't add up there. So why, oh why? Want to wager a guess? No? Well, Rachel didn't return his feelings. He 'd lost, his heart broken because of you, so he decided to get back at you. He wanted you to feel like he did, live a life without the one girl you love." He stood up and moved around to the other side of the bed, Harvey's coin in his hand. He began unstrapping the man, only this time, he didn't try and kill him. His words had hit a chord in Dent's mind. Now it was time for the kill... metaphorically speaking of course. He had worked to hard just to kill him.

"I'm an agent of chaos, and that really has it's perks. If someone wrongs me, I can get back at them without having to answer for it. It also means, if something doesn't go according to plan, I change the plan and it's no chip off my shoulder. You were a schemer at one point, like Gordon, the mayor, and Batman. The game has changed though. They hurt you, your friends hurt you. What are you going to do about it?" he pressured. The normal side of Harvey's face contorted into a tormented look. It was tempting, but there was some kind of moral conscience there. That's alright. Morals were easily smashed.

"Nothing... at least not what you would do. I'm not like you," he insisted. Joker laughed. Actually, he was.

"Well, I don't know about that," he decided with a sharp lick of his lips. "You see, the thing with anarchy, is that you have to be prepared for multiple outcomes. Look at my plans, their always 50-50 situations. Either A happens or B happens... sound familiar? You don't have to decide anything. Let luck chose the fate of those people. Be an agent of chance," he teased him, his voice getting deeper and quieter. He had him now. A shadow of a smirk played on Dent's lips and a dangerous glint came into his eyes. Good-bye white knight, hello... whoever this was.

"Why don't we start with me?" he suggested, placing the coin in one hand and a gun in the other. "I get the feeling we both blame me somewhat for poor Rachel's end. I could have suggested someone else... it didn't have to be her. So, why don't we see what my fate is. Heads, I live. Tails, you shoot me." Harvey nodded and tossed the coin. Heads. "Well, that's that. Now, I have a hospital to blow-up. You should go." Harvey gingerly got up and changed into the burnt suit no one had bothered to throw away. Really, it was as burnt as his face. What was the point of keeping it? That went beyond sentimental. That was like extreme pack rat. "Well Dent, nice talking to you," he ended the conversation as Harvey walked out of the room, coin and gun tucked away in the jacket.

"Name's not Dent," Harvey told him, turning around, a grim, serious, slightly crazy look in his opinion, in his eyes. "It's Two-Face. Harvey Two Face," not-Dent almost laughed. Oh, he liked this kid!

"Well, Two Face, I'll see you around," he corrected himself with a dramatic bow. He watched the former D.A. walk out of the building, avoiding the buses, before leaving himself. He pressed the button and the wing began exploding behind him.

He made it outside, but the explosions stopped. He turned around; the building was still standing. That was curious. He pressed the button three times, but it didn't seem to be working. Shucks, that was problematic. Suddenly, the big fireworks started and he took off running.

_A/N: Alright, I lied. This is the shortest. I just did not have anything to add to this. Rachel's storyline doesn't start for another few days after this. The Joker will go home and plot and be random and we know what Harvey will do. I think the Joker will tell you what really happens to Harvey though. So... yeah. Sorry, just a tad uninspired right now._


	14. Chapter 14

Rachel wiped away the tears that ran down her cheek. Over the last four days, she had alternated between crying and sleeping. She was tired of it. If the pain wouldn't go away, at least the emotional signs would stop. It was exhausting and her feeble body could not take it anymore. Nearly a week without food was taking it's toll on her. She was gaunt and thin with dark circles around her swollen eyes. She looked like a wreck.

The door slammed open, causing her to jump up into a sitting position. In waltzed the Joker with a plastic tray holding a bowl and a cup. He walked over, humming a merry tune, and sat the tray in front of her before taking a seat next to her like a good friend would do. She looked down at the bowl. Her stomach growled, urging her to eat, but something felt so wrong about eating with Harvey gone, so she took the glass and pushed away bowl of cereal.

"Thanks, but no thanks," she mumbled weakly, sipping the grape juice. Joker stopped humming and pushed the tray back with a low, trailing whistle.

"If I know anything about grief, and I do... I would say that you are starving yourself. Now, I'm not entirely religious myself, but I don't recall anything in the holy book saying that starvation will raise the dead. At least, that's not how Jesus did it," he mocked her. She glared at him and continued sipping. The flakes did look good though. He rolled his eyes and sighed with a sharp lick of his lips. "Come on Rach," she flinched at the nick name. Harvey used to call her that. "You look awful. I don't think dear Harvey would want you to be doing this." She suddenly developed a very irritated look and glared daggers at him.

"Yeah well we wouldn't know what he would want now would we. Thanks to you and all!" she snapped. He gave her a disbelieving look and raised his hands in front of his chest.

"Me? How could you say such a thing?" he asked incredulously. "You make it sound like I killed him!" Rachel threw the cup down and half-spun to face him.

"You planned the whole thing! You might not've pulled the trigger yourself, but you're the reason he was tied up in the first place!" she yelled at him. "You're the reason he's dead!" She turned to look at her feet. "You're the reason Batman's gone too, aren't you?" He gave her a puzzled look and a small laugh.

"Batman gone? Where did you hear that? He's still out and around, fighting the evils of Gotham. There's no reason to worry about him," he told her. Rachel stared at him, her jaw hanging open in an unlady-like manner. Batman was alive? But that didn't make any sense!

"Then why did you... rescue me?" she asked, wishing she had a better term than rescue. It made it sound like he had done her a favor.

"Well, one of my less intelligent employees did not get the memo that Batman was supposed to be untouched through this. He was a little unconscious and I figured I would do him the favor of saving his darling not-girlfriend as he couldn't. He was pleased to know you were fine though. He didn't hit quite so hard," he joked. Rachel rolled her eyes, but there was a small smile on her lips. Bruce was fine, that was good. But it was still sick of him to save her! Did he think she would come running back to him now that the love of her life was gone? Did he think she was that loose?

"I shouldn't be here," she mumbled.

"That's morbid," he laughed and eyed her as if she were the crazy one. "Or were you meaning here, as in this room, because then I need to be offended." She sighed. Although she rather disliked him, she needed to tell someone about this.

"I told him to save Harvey. I made him promise that if it came down to me or Harvey, he was to pick Harvey! He said he would to! He lied to me," she declared sadly. Her best childhood friend had betrayed her trust. She felt tears prick her eyes in a most annoying manner. Would she never stop crying?

"It's not entirely unexpected," the Joker replied thoughtfully. She looked at him with a questioning manner. He didn't know Bruce; he couldn't talk. "Now, of course I don't know Batman like you do, but he is a man, and an emotional one at that. Now, he loves you, I don't think we can argue about that, and Harvey stole you from him. So his chose was, lovely lady or evil guy that broke his heart. I'll tell you, when I spoke to him, he was riled up and impulsive. He didn't have time to think about that. Don't be too hard on him. After all, men are not known to be the most thoughtful of creatures, or that's the impression I've gotten from women over the years," he assured her. Rachel smiled more than before. So Bruce had not purposefully broken his promise; he was just being his scared self.

XXXXXXXXX

The Joker eyed her and began rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Time for the kill.

"Then again," he started, bring her attention back to him, "you would think that your last request would have held more value to him. I mean... well... never mind," he waved off the thought, but he had her hooked. In this state, Rachel was vulnerable and insecure. Any doubts he held against her beliefs would be detrimental to her fragile control.

"No, what were you going to say?" she asked, hopping up to her knees to face him completely. He looked at her for a minute as if wondering whether or not he should. The answer was obvious though; of course he should!

"Well, I would think that if he was so in love with you, and respected you so much, that he would have thought about you, not his own wishes in this situation. After all, it was your life, not his that hung in the balance. Part of wedding vows is to love, honor, and respect. It sounded to me like he was willing to make you his blushing bride, yet he would not hold to those vows possibly because they weren't sworn. That seems stupid to me though. But, I've troubled you, and really, what do I know right?" he laughed. Rachel forced a pathetic noise from her throat trying to laugh it off, but her eyes were distant. She was considering what he had said.

"Yeah... what do you know?" she tried to assure herself, but it was useless. She wasn't up to thinking objectively about anything. This would plague her mind for hours, maybe days, to come. This would be fun.

"Really, but anyway, I apologize, but I have to go, mischief to cause, havoc to wreak, you know the game. Have a good day, due try and eat something," he begged her like he was a concerned friend. He really did care, but just not in the manner he was portraying. She was a tool, not a friend. She smiled at him and dutifully took a handful of the cereal. He smiled too, but at her weakness. Humans, especially women, were so weak and susceptible to kindness when they were grieving. This was going to be almost too easy. Hehehe. He turned and closed the door. A laugh krept out of his throat as another thought came to him: Rachel meeting Harvey. If she didn't warm up to him through his kindness, then certainly seeing the new and improved Harvey "Two-Face" dent would drive her to him. Of course, that would be if he ever got out of Arkham. That had been a big deal on the news the other day. Naturally, Gordon had covered it up, stating that a new menace was plaguing the city and it had been contained and word had not gotten out that the D.A. was suddenly a murderer. Still, how many insane people ran around Gotham? Scratch that, a lot of the did, but how many crazies got the Commissioner's attention and had him shaking in his boots? Only Two-Face. Oh, he would love to see that meeting when it came.

_A/N: Sorry about this! I was meaning to update and then I got caught up in a new book, and when I start reading, I don't stop. Any Twilight fans out there? If so, I think you'll know what I mean. So, tell me what you think. I'm not crazy about this chapter, but it is important. We have a bit of foreshadowing and some things have been set in place. As you can tell, I did not follow movie!verse with Two-Face. I refuse to have him fall off a building and die. He'll be hit by the train first! Much more dignified. We have officially gone past TDK and this is all AU now. As I told some of you, I might still steal things from the movie, but try not to compare it now. Ciao! I'll try and update soon._


	15. Chapter 15

It was odd that someone she was completely repulsed by only two weeks ago, now put her completely at ease. Well, not completely, she still knew that he was dangerous, but generally speaking he was a comfort. In the midst of loosing Harvey and feeling betrayed by Bruce, the Joker was a constant in her life. He had been unusually nice to her in her hour of need. He had even given her free reign of the building, though he did point out that two doors were off guards and to further emphasize the point that she would not open them, he rigged the doorknobs to electric fencing and no one touched them without his permission. One of the goons had forgotten this and the effects were quite unpleasant. Rachel definitely felt it was in her best interest to listen to him on that point. She also didn't sleep in the little interrogation room anymore, a great relief. Admittedly, she had been cautious of sharing a room with this mass-murdering clown, but he had been nothing but the perfect gentleman. The closet had been emptied and a small cot had been put on the floor. She was able to close the doors and have her privacy.

Currently, Joker and Rachel were sitting in the living room watching the morning news. Rachel was raiding the Fruit Loop box and he would occasionally steal a few pieces from her handful. This was followed by a "hey, get you're own," his smug laughter and a reminder that he did own the box. It was a comfortable situation and lightened her heavy heart. The news broadcaster finished the story and a shampoo commercial came on.

"I hate commercials... especially these kind," he declared, throwing a loop at the screen.

"And why is that? Because it reminds you that you're quite neglectful to your hair?" she teased him. She had found that in his good moods, he liked playful banter. However, you had to be careful not to make any personal remarks and avoid mentions of his past. Oh, and remember that this jolliness could change at any moment.

"I will have you know, that I take the utmost care of myself. Can't say the same for you though... how long have you been wearing those sweats?" he teased her, earning a swift punch in the arm which caused him to giggle delightfully.

"Forgive me for being stuck here!" she bit back. He gave her a pointed look of "care to explain?" She sighed, forgetting how fragile his ego could be. "I mean, it's not home, and I do miss having my own place, having clean clothes, the ability to see the sky, and all. But, actually, you've been... nice," she admitted. Since she was such a terrible liar, he was able to see that she was being totally honest and he seemed, for just a moment, surprised, but quickly laughed it off.

"Oh Rachel, my pet, you are too kind!" he told her, throwing an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. She tensed up as he betrayed her own boundary. She still wasn't comfortable with him touching her yet. In the past, his touch meant there was a knife in her mouth, or he was trying to seduce her. "I have been so neglectful to you. Here I thought I was doing a good job and suddenly you point out how poorly I've been treating! How can you ever forgive me?" She was unsure whether he was being sincere or teasing her. Probably the later since the former did not seem to be in his nature. "Come, come Rachel, we'll hook you up with something!" he laughed as he led her to their room.

"Now when you say _hook me up _you do mean that as a figure of speech?" she asked nervously. What if she had offended him in some way and now he was going to kill her in a gruesome way? He skid to a halt and turned to look at her, a hurt expression gracing his features.

"Of course! I could never hurt you. I," he paused, licked his lips, and looked down bashfully, "I know that I have a very violent aspect of my personality, but dear Rachel, you have total immunity from that, especially after what I did to Harvey." She smiled and tapped his shoulder awkwardly as a way of telling him it was okay. He had formally expressed his guilt for taking Harvey from her. He had almost cried! It really was touching. Maybe, just maybe, he would turn his act around.

"I'm sorry for offending you, but your... career choice is a bit scary," she told him. A mischievous smile split his face.

"Only if you can't get the joke," with that he turned and began bounding down the hall again. That was a big maybe by the way.

XXXXXXXXX

Joker tried to suppress the laugh that was boiling in his throat. She was so gullible! She actually believed that he was sorry about poor Harvey... well, she didn't know the truth, and he probably would be sad to see him dead with all the raw potential he had... but that was totally beside the point! She thought he was some kind of nice guy who could be saved from the evilness of their ways. Did she think they lived in a fairytale? He bet she was a Disney kid... well they didn't have teeny-tiny microphones that recorded her every word! Yeah, that had been quite a breakdown she had had when he reminded her that it was only through his grace that Harvey had not suffered for long. There had been screaming and crying for hours on end. That really was the blow that broke her mental shell. She opened up to him after that. Oh how he loved his games!

He ran, full sprint, into his room and skid, much like a baseball player, to a stop in front of his bed. He threw his head back and gave Rachel an expectant look to which she clapped lightly. Such a girl. He pulled a box out from under the bed and began tossing out his older clothes. Much to her surprise it seemed, he did have quite the lack of color in his old wardrobe. Most things were blue and grey. Bleh, how dull! He picked out the smallest items and threw them to Rachel.

"They'll probably be too big, but they should work," he told her as she stepped into the closet. Apparently, some women actually have the ability to change in under a half an hour because five minutes later, Rachel reappeared in a blue button-down and grey trousers. They engulfed her and did her delicate figure no justice, but it worked. She looked down and tried to smooth the hopelessly wrinkled fabric, but it was a loosing battle. Instead, she pulled her hair into a pony-tail.

"Thanks, this does feel better," she admitted. Her head cocked to the side and her toes wiggled. "I don't suppose you would have a pair of socks I could borrow, do you?" she asked shyly. Did he have socks? One of life's great pleasures was socks! He dug further into the box and pulled out a purple and brown stripped and pink pock-a-dotted pair. They were monstrous! Why hadn't he ever worn these before? He tossed them to her and she gave them a funny look. "Very nice," she laughed sarcastically.

"Aren't they though?" he agreed, ignoring the barb. He threw one leg up onto the bed and pulled a pant's leg up. "What do you think of these?" Today's pair were purple, beige, blue, and green squares of various sizes. She forced a smile and nodded in false approval. Huh, some people just could not handle originality. She slipped the socks on, but froze as the pants pulled weirdly over the pocket. Her hand slipped in and pulled out a piece of plastic. He cocked an eyebrow and leaned closer, not sure of what she had found. Looked a bit like a credit card...

"Jack Napier," she whispered, causing him to freeze. She turned the license around with a picture of his unpainted face. Swear word, swear word, swear word! Why didn't he think to check the pockets? No wonder those had looked so small, they were from his road trip here. Gah, how could he have been so stupid? "Is this you?" His lips were pressed tightly to his teeth, and his knuckles were turning white from his hold on the blanket. He hated his past. He didn't like to think about it. About how the kids had laughed at him, how his dad hadn't been there, how he'd watched his mother die due to Bud's carelessness, how the metal felt against his skin, he didn't want to remember. He stiffly nodded once. Rachel must have noticed his reaction because she put the card down and pushed it away from her. She became scared and defensive. While his initial reaction was to punish her for mentioning it, he knew that it would be stupid to waste such a precious resource. So, he let go, took a few deep breaths, and walked over to sit beside her. He picked up the card and glanced at it without seeing it.

"I was pretty good looking then wasn't I?" he commented in a mostly casual manner. Rachel nodded once and gaged his new behavior.

"You probably still are without the paint," she murmured. He raised an eyebrow. A girl who sees beauty in scars, probably a Phantom of the Opera fan. Maybe he should try bursting out into song one day.

"Yeah, but I like how the paint brings out my eyes," he joked, earning a small smile.

"Your name is very fitting with your card theme," she dared to comment. He swallowed thickly and continued to smile. "I would have taken you as more of an Ace though." Now that did make him snort. Weren't Ace's suppose to be all dark and mysterious, running around in leather jackets and combat boots. That really wasn't his still. "Explains your decks too." Oh, and who said she was unobservant! Hello, obvious. Once again, this proved that the best hiding spots were right in the open.

"Guess it does. Now, you're never going to speak about this right?" he cautioned. She grimaced and nodded. "At a girl. I knew I could trust you, Rach."

XXXXXXXXX

Harvey paced his cell angrily. He had been in here for two weeks and it was driving his crazy! If the solitude and boredom weren't bad enough, the _doctors_ wanted to start therapy sessions. He had heard the words 'grief counseling' thrown around once. He didn't need counseling! Nothing would take away the pain of Rachel's demise. Why couldn't they understand that? These callous, brainless humans. He had fought for them at one point, and this is how they repay him, by throwing him into a padded cell! No wonder people had given up hope on Gotham.

He dropped onto his bunk and gingerly touched the skin graphs. They hadn't been able to do much, but the holes in his jaw and chin were covered and they had formed some sort of an eyelid and tear duct. His lips still pulled back from his teeth and the skin was still pink and twisted. They would serve as permanent reminders for everyone's betrayal. Their betrayal, he felt a new sorrow wash over him. He had been making such progress. With a bit more time and resources he could have saved this town, but people's greed and pride had gotten in the way. Now, the city would burn at his hand. Everyone who had ever stood in his way would pay dearly. But first, he needed a way out of here. Good luck with that.

_A/N: YAY a long chapter! So as we can all clearly see, Two Face is still a little bitter about what happened. Yes, he did not die from the fall and he no longer has gaping holes in his face. However, he's not a pretty as before. You can also see that Rachel, in her distress has taken to the Joker quite well, who is loving the attention. We also got a nifty little glimse into his past. Sorry, he wasn't cut up by his dad. But really, do we think he would offer up a real story? No. For full details, check out my other story Trail to Darkness. I need more reviews on that if I'm to keep going. Alrighty then... so just do your thing my lovelies._


	16. Chapter 16

A storm raged outside. Rachel could not see it, there were no windows in the room, but the wind still howled outside and the rain roughly pounded against the roof. Every now and again, thunder would sound, causing her to curl deeper into her cot. She hated thunder storms, and she hated being alone in them even more. Joker had left a few hours ago, cackling about a date with Batsy. Hopefully he would be careful.

Yes, despite what logic told her, she was attached to this mysterious man. He was kind to her and his company was actually enjoyable. Their conversations were often entertaining and she had found that he was quite an intelligent individual. His views on human nature, while jaded and pessimistic, did make a great deal of sense. Humans were vicious, but they were also weak-minded. They had a tendency to resist change and reject anything that did not fit in the tiny box of their lives. He claimed that he was simply improving the human species by killing off those too weak to adapt to new situations. He was also keeping the police force in top condition. Although she hated to admit it, he always gave them a way to avoid total disaster. In a way, he was like a spider. He's unpleasant, but he does do the world a bit of a favor. Maybe, just maybe, he and Batman weren't that different. Yes, Batman did avoid killing people, but wolves killed the weak to better the caribou population. They were similar in a not similar way. Make sense?

The door flung open and Rachel jumped up, preparing to defend herself should her life (or virtue) be in danger. However, in walked four dark figures that seemed to be carrying a large load. At first, the object was unrecognizable, but as her eyes adjusted and her mind made sense of it all, she realized that the object was in fact a person, the Joker to be more specific. They laid him gently on the bed and left, unable to do more. She had to give it to them, despite their harsh nature, the henchmen really were loyal to him. Stupid people... you did not entire into the Joker's employ and become attached to him.

She rushed to the bed and crawled over to kneel at his side. All she could make out was that he was mess, but nothing else. However, flipping on a lamp, she gasped at the extent of his wounds. There were several deep lacerations along his chest and arms, soaking his clothes in blood. He was grasping his abdomen protectively, indicating that something was not quite right. On his face, there were several nasty cuts and bruises that were also bleeding heavily, but that was just the nature of head wounds. He needed to be cleaned up now.

"Don't move," she commanded him as she left for the bathroom. He gave a chocking laugh, followed by a groan.

"You don't have to worry about that," he called after her weakly. She got to the bathroom and began assessing what she needed. Towels, water, needle, thread, bandages and alcohol. She grabbed a few clothes that looked fairly clean, and dug around in the cabinets, and found a few roles of gauze. Giving up there, she ran into the kitchen and filled up a pot of water, cursing over how long that took. Finally, she secured a bottle of whiskey and ran back. She would have to look later for something to stitch him up. He was still laying in the same position she had left him in, and ever now and again he would emit and low groan. He must have been in a lot of pain because he was not laughing now.

"I have to clean your wounds now, and that will require me to remove your shirts. Are you alright with that?" she asked, knowing that that would probably count as an intimate gesture to him. Something told her that the Joker did not normally expose skin if it was possible. The man wore gloves for crying out loud! He shot her a look that basically questioned her sanity.

"I'm...in... A LOT OF PAIN!" he dramatically responded. "Propriety is not an issue here." Well, that was all she needed. With trembling fingers, she undid the buttons of his vest and shirt and pulled back the folds of the article along with his jacket. Besides the cuts, there were deep bruises forming along his ribs and belly. Unfortunately, his clothes still obstructed her mediation. He needed to be fully gone of the jacket and shirt. "Either you have a very light touch or nothing is happening. Please stop exploring the art work and get with the healing," he half teased, half griped. She cleared her throat and slipped her hands under his side to turn him onto his side. "OW!" he exclaimed with a cold look over his shoulder.

"Sorry, but I have to get these off you. Oh my," she gasped as she saw his back. Along the center was a long gash and three puncture marks. What did he do to irritate Bruce so much? This was terrible and totally out of character for her gentle friend. She slipped his arm out of the sleeves and then rolled him over to his other side, much to his protests, and did the same thing so she could cast the garments away. He was returned to his back and she began dabbing the deep cuts with water to remove the excess blood. Next, she poured water over the cuts to flush out any dirt. Preferably, she would actually have tweezers to further inspect and remove any foreign materials, but that was not an option. He would be lucky not to get an infection from this, and being who he was, there was no chance a hospital or clinic would help him. Poor thing! Finally, she opened the whiskey bottle and doused the lacerations with the liquid. He let out a pained cry and bit down on his knuckles. "I thought you liked pain," she teased him, hoping to get his mind off the searing pain.

"Yes, sharp, quick pain, not this prolonged agony," he corrected her. So even the Joker had a limit to what he could take.

"I am sorry, but you're quite prone to infection right now, and because I cannot ensure that all the dirt and whatnot is out, I have to try to kill bacterial somehow. It was good enough for the Civil War soldiers," she reasoned.

"Yeah, and back then they hacked off whole limbs for bullet wounds... without anesthetics too! You're not planning on that are you?" he bit back. Someone was a bit unhappy.

"It did come to mind." She finished the disinfecting and put the bottle aside. It was still needed for his back and face. "Erm, I don't suppose you have a needle and threat would you?" she asked.

"Tiny box on the left side," he informed her, indicating his series of boxes under the bed. She hoped off and found a box filled with thread, needles, and buttons. Why so many buttons?

"Do you have a color preference?" she laughed.

"You're pushing it," he growled. Okay, no more jokes for now. She selected the dark purple thread, figuring it was better than lime green since there was an abhorrent lack of black and cut a long length. After threading the needle, she dipped it in the whiskey and plunged it into his flesh. He let out a small chuckle and a sigh. "That's more like it." He relaxed as she stitched him shut. "So... where did you learn to stitch? Finishing school?" he laughed. She shot him a glare. While it was good he was feeling better, he was easier on the mind while incapacitated.

"Bruce Wayne's butler, Alfred, taught us. We got into a lot of trouble sometimes, especially Bruce, so he took it upon himself to teach us a few things. I was a lot better at it than Bruce," she lightly gloated. When your best friend was the richest kid around, there were few things you could brag about. She took what she got.

"Aw yes, playboy billionaire Bruce Wayne was your best friend. I forgot about that. So, what's the guy _really_ like?"

"He's nice and rather simple in his desires. He's not what the media plays him up to be," she said resolutely. She had to be careful that she wasn't giving away anything that might help him make the connection. "Now, what I want to know is what the hell you did to earn such a beating!" His giggling stopped, and his eyes filled with a new kind of pain.

"Well, as you probably don't know, the outside world thinks you're dead. I simply hoped to put Batsy's mind at ease and let him know his little girlfriend is safe with me. You know, I have a sensitive spot for the guy, and hated to see him hurt. He's no fun then. However, this little exchange came with a price, mainly being that he doesn't touch me. Well, he didn't take too kindly to me not giving him a location. A simple, "She's okay," isn't good enough for him, so be breaks the agreement and lets out a whole lot of frustration on my vulnerable self," he finished, his voice cracking and a tear falling from his eye which he quickly wiped away. "So much for my good deed of the year," he tried to joke. Her heart cried with him. He had just been trying to be nice. How could Bruce not see that this could have been an opportunity to help guide him to a better life? On that note, how could Bruce have been so stupid? This was the Joker! Of course he wasn't going to give out all the information just yet. He should have been happy with what he got. He just had never seemed like the person to beat a man to a pulp for a lack of cooperation. Sure, he must have been going through a lot the last few weeks, but elation he should have felt should have ebbed some of his anger away. Maybe she didn't know her friend as well as he thought.

"That's terrible! You were just trying to be nice. You're sure you weren't threatening anyone in the process, or blowing anything up?" she wanted to verify, hoping to redeem Bruce.

"No," he promised. "I had sent out a news blurb asking him to meet me there, alone which he did respect, and that I would help ease his suffering mind. No tomfoolery, I swear." Her heart broke at his sincerity. She could not think of anything else to say. The cuts were finally closed. She dressed them with patches of gauze and moved him onto his side again. There was nothing she could do about the bruises.

XXXXXXXXX

'And the Oscar goes to... ME!' he thought gleefully! Oh Rachel was so trusting! She actually thought he had been playing the good citizen on this meeting. While the events were mostly, true, he had been blowing up a few parked cars, but nothing terrible. Oh, and it turns out that Batman's armour was quite susceptible to his shoe knife. He had gotten a few nice stabs to the thigh before Batman had decided to use him as a punching bag and practice target for his flying gauntlet, razor thingys. Oh, but he had been so close to getting him to break his one rule. He could almost taste the sensation of death, before the inner voice caught up with Batboy and he fled. So, while he had told her most of the truth, a few facts were changed to help win her over. Maybe in a few more weeks he could let her go and start spying for him. Granted, he would have to know that she was totally his.

A sharp pain repeatedly pierced his back as Rachel sewed his back together. He closed his eyes in ecstacy as the searing pain that drowned out the terrible aches. This was just another sign of his superiority to other humans. They allowed themselves to be controlled by their pain. He was able to train his mind to accept it, and enjoy it. It was like a sign saying that he was still alive, still allowed another day to cause chaos. There was no sweeter gift.

Finally, his back was finished and taped up. She gently rolled him over, her fingertips warm on his flesh. Her touch was so soft, so foreign... it made him uncomfortable. Usually any contact was in the form of a punch or kick. He wasn't sure how to react to this kindness.

"I'm going to have to wash the make-up off," she admitted. His smile melted. This was one thing he had hoped to avoid. It was bad enough she had seen his I.D. There was no reason that she needed to see his face for real. Then again, infection was a bad thing, and there was no way he would be able to do it himself, so it would be best for someone who had seen him to do this, instead of allowing another person to see his weakness underneath.

"Do what you must," he finally caved. Rachel flashed him a guilty smile and began washing away his mask.

XXXXXXXXX

Rachel's hands were shaking even worse than before. This was the first time she would see the real Joker in actuality. The card had been taken years prior, so the image may have changed. The water washed away the paint, revealing pale, ivory skin. It was smooth and soft beneath her fingers. Having started at the forehead, she moved her way down, awed at how young he still looked. Then again, if she did the math correctly, he was only a year older than herself, but he just seemed so much more... experienced. She reached his scars and felt him tense as the cloth washed over them. They were an odd shape, not smooth and straight like a blade, but jagged and uneven. He had not been cut open, at least not initially. His lips were a pale pink without the red paint and for a moment she was captivated by how delicate they appeared. Looking over the complete unexposed face, she felt her breath catch. He looked so human, so strong, and yet so vulnerable. Her heart was soaring and breaking at the sight, and she allowed her fingertips to touch him as she wiped away a few spots she had missed. Meeting his dark, brown eyes, the only feature still recognizable, she realized that he was uncomfortable with the entire thing, meaning he was on a short fuse and she better hurry up already.

Thankfully, the cuts were not deep and she quickly washed, disinfected, and bandaged them. She was disappointed when he asked her to retrieve the paint jars, signalling that she would not be able to watch him longer. He was truly good looking, as she had told him, and the scars were not that noticeable. Actually, she thought they added character and personality.

"Help me up," he instructed, trying to push himself into a sitting position.

"You'll rip your stitches!" she scolded him, earning a surprised look. People normally did not talk back to him. "Let me do it." He did not appear impressed with the situation, but further movement caused him to wince and giggle, so he laid back down and allowed her to do it. "Do you have a general process for this?" she asked, at a loss as to what she should do.

"Primer first (helps it stick), then the white, then black, and finally red. White covers the entire face, red's on the mouth and scars, and for the black, just follow the bone," he advised. It was truly simple. She fished around and found a black tube of primer.

"Hey, I use this brand too," she commented. He gave her a, "Don't insult me like that" look, and she bashfully rubbed the milky paste over his skin. It was a strange sensation, rubbing his face like that. It was such an intimate act, touching his bare skin. Something had to be criminal about this. Afterwards, she unscrewed the lid off the white paint jar and began painting him up. This seemed to also be a base layer, so she spread it everyone. Since he did not correct her, she assumed it was right.

XXXXXXXXX

NO NO NO! No one was suppose to touch him like this! It was wrong! He hated it! He hated how soft she was, how gentle her fingers travelled along his cheek bone, how his lips tingled after she touched them. It was not right! This had to be considered cruel and unusual punishment. He'd rather rip his stitches than endure this, but it hurt too much to move. CURSES! Something was so wrong with this.

What bothered him even more, is that the was not half as uncomfortable with this set-up as he should have been. Regrettably, something was actually... pleasant about her touch. What was with that? Here she was, a mere pawn, a silly girl, painting his face, and he was fine-ish with it. NO! Talk about a dilemma. He was so supposed to be hating this, but he wasn't. No, he wasn't leaping circles, glad to be here, but it wasn't the end of the world. Why wasn't the world ending? Gah! This felt like when Jack had still been here. This emotional acceptance... it was such a Jack thing. That was not okay. It was a good thing she was needed... and that it would have been too hard to manipulate another lawyer. He tapped his feet together in annoyance. He was not pleased.

XXXXXXXXX

The white and black were done. He looked like a ghoul without his bright red smile. Well, time to correct that. She looked for a tube of red lipstick, but all she found was another jar. She opened it to find the correct shade of red paint glaring up at her. She sighed, a bit put-off at the thought of having to touch his lips again, and this time, focusing on them. It was fine with the primer and white base. They had been hasty touches. Now, her fingers would have to move slowly and deliberately. It was not a good situation. Taking a deep breath, she dipped her index finger in and placed it on the delicate skin. The red mixed with the white, becoming a lovely pink. However, he might not appreciate it, so she applied another coat so that it was the bright, blood red. Her fingers began to tingle from the contact. His breath was delicate and warm on her fingers and his lips were so soft. They began moving slower, lingering over each inch, studying their soft surface. But there came a time when she had no excuse for staying and moved onto his scars. They were a different soft, a waxy texture. She moved with the same slowness and explored the various peaks of his scar tissue. She wished her fingers could melt in with them, could become one with the flesh, so that she might learn their story. It would be a terrible, but fascinating tale, that would finally reveal to her why he was who he was. To learn that story, would be to learn who the Joker, who Jack Napier was. To have him reveal that story would be the ultimate act of trust.

His face was done. He let out a soft sigh of relief and opened his eyes. They had been clenched shut the entire process. She smiled down at him and got up to put the box away and pull the sheet over him. It was late, that much she knew, and they were both tired, emotionally and physically. She put the pot and soiled towels in one corner and then crawled into her cot, her eyes drifting shut. A loud clap of thunder rang out and she jumped with surprise, unfortunately emitting a loud squeak. A throaty chuckle drifted over from the bed.

"Scare of storms?" he laughed. Her cheeks burned and she nodded.

"Ever since I was I kid," she admitted.

"Just remember, you've survived this long with me, and I'm much more dangerous than that storm. It can't hurt you here." For whatever reason, that comforted her, and she was able to drift off into an easy sleep.

_A/N: Wow, my longest chapter yet! So... wanted to start laying the seeds for their relationship. Nothing will happen for a few chapters yet, but it's a start. Also, next chapter will have more of a Harvey focus, because he's been a busy little bee. Oh, I have plans for him! Also, this makes this story tie with my longest one yet. Never written anything past 16 chapters. YAY! I feel proud of myself. So, please review._


	17. Chapter 17

Harvey sat in his cell, staring at the heavy metal door that separated him from the rest of the world. It was such an insignificant thing, that door, but at the same time, it was such a formidable foe. It only opened on Tuesdays when the guards came to get him for his sessions with Dr. Wayland. How he hated her. The first session was not the first time he had ever met Dr. Patricia Wayland. Being known for her work with high profile cases, and grief in particular, she had been called into court a few times to testify. He had liked her well enough back then. Now, she grated on his few nerves. She not only did not show him the proper respect he deserved, felt they were friends and what not, but she felt she could get him to open up with her naive, 'I'm sorry about what happened, but revenge is not the answer,' methods. How could she not see that revenge was the answer? He had listened as the woman he loved was murdered, and no one tried to help her! There was no forgiving that.

The door opened today and two guards entered with a pair of handcuffs and ankle shackles. They were very gentle and relatively polite to him, which was most unusual in here. That was the perk of being the former D.A. He had fought for them at one point and they were wont to see him as another criminal. It was funny, because he could see them as the enemy. They lead him down the hall and everything was as it always was. Life at Arkham was a cycle that ran flawlessly, and made things so easy for the clever criminal mind. Come three o'clock, he would break that cycle, instigate a bit of chaos worthy of the Joker, and escape this hell-hole to seek revenge upon the world! They approached Dr. Wayland's office and the door swung open to reveal a seated older woman with severe features, but with shining eyes and a pleasant smile. Now he had to make a choice of which greeting to use.

He was feeling more in a Harvey mood, than a Two-Face mood, perhaps a good thing considering his plans, so he graced her with a sad smile. Unfortunatley for her, only half his face could perform such a delicate act so one side (two guesses which one) grimaced sinisterly. Dr. Wayland was obviously perturbed by this, as always, but returned his smile with a crisp hello. He allowed her a curt nod and allowed the guards to hand cuff him to the modified leather couch. The guards left and she flipped open her notebook and clicked her pen.

"How are you today Mr. Dent?" she asked as she did every session. Two-Face roared inside him at the use of Harvey's last name, but he replied with a civil response.

"Miserable, and you?" It was said with such a normal tone that one would think he had merely commented on the weather.

"Well after what you went through, it is understandable that your grieving process will be long. Tell me, what does the pain feel like today?" This was another regular question and she got different answers depending on his mood.

"Like a smoldering fire that is slowly suffocating my lungs and eating at my flesh. Like thousands of razor blades tearing at my organs as I'm shot repeatedly." A truly unpleasant answer, but it was honest, and if there was one thing Harvey Dent was, it was honest. Despite the morbidity of his response, she was again relieved and eased in her chair. Last time it had been something about a burning white-hot fire shooting from every pour, ready to make the world pain for stealing her from him. It had not been a great session for the seasoned psychiatrist. "You're going to make me talk about her aren't you?" he asked with despair laced in every syllable.

"Not if you don't want to," Dr. Wayland promised sincerely. It was a rule of the trade, if a patient is not ready to open up, do not force it. Harvey sighed and inspected the ceiling.

"I think I want to... but only the pleasant things," he decided. In all honesty, he would have rather avoided the topic, but he needed her to warm up to him before he could make his request of her. "Like her laugh. Did you ever hear Rachel laugh? It was the most musical thing in the entire world. Her face lit up, her nose crinkled, and the entire world seemed to glow with her joy. It made my soul soar. Or this nervous habit she had. When ever she was feeling awkward, she would start humming. All through our first date, she kept breaking out into Bad Medicine. Not exactly an encouraging sign," he laughed lightly but in such away that Dr. Wayland's heart went out to him. She had seen him with Rachel, and he had been so alive then. Now, he was broken and hollow.

"Do you want to tell me about that... about your first date?" she pressed when he went silent. He sighed and clicked his tongue a few times before turning to look at her more directly.

"It was nothing spectacular, just drinks after work. I had kind of had an eye on her for a few weeks before I finally asked her out. It was actually hilarious how I did it too. I just walked right in, sat on the edge of her desk, and asked her to get a drink with me that night. She was... reluctant at first, but I managed to persuade her in the end. So that night we went down to O'Reilly's and ended up talking 'til 1 in the morning. Well, I did more talking than her with her little humming sessions, but it was fun," he reminisced. They continued down this line of questioning for another fifteen minutes. Dr. Wayland was surprised by how open he was with her. Perhaps she had never seen the real Harvey before. He was such a nice guy. Kind of like a son she had never had. If she could keep him trusting her, then maybe this split personality of his could be overridden and he could return to a normal life.

"Oh, Doctor, I was wondering if I could ask something of you," he commented shyly. She indicated for him to continue, but reminded him that she could make no promises. "Don't worry, it's nothing big. Uhm, when I was admitted, there should have been a two-headed coin on me with one side burned. I was wondering if I could get it back. It's very special to me... one of the last things I have of my father, and it is deeply connected to dear Rachel. Do you think you could do that?" he asked pitifully. She wanted to say yes right away, but she paused to think. It was a coin, it could do no harm. The door did not lock from the inside and the cracks would not allow anything that thick to pass through them, so it was really safe. Besides, it could be useful to his mental health if he had this comfort item.

"I believe that can be arranged. Dr. Arkham trusts my judgement, so I will just speak to him later. Let's see if we cannot send an officer to fetch it," she assured him. She stepped outside and muttered a few things that Harvey could not hear. Both sides of him grinned evilly, knowing he could leave in peace now. She returned to her chair and made light conversation until the officer returned with the coin in a labelled plastic bag. He handed it the doctor, gave Harvey an uneasy look, and left. Dr. Wayland turned the coin over a few times as she approached him, and noted the irony in the destruction of the metal. It was placed in his cuffed hand and he flipped it a few times with a satisfied sigh.

"Thank you Doctor," he told her as the guards re-entered to take him back to his cell. "Your kindness will be noted." The door closed and Two-Face took over. They did not return the way they entered. It was considered back luck as prisoners got to see a section of the asylum too well. Thankfully for him, his cell was in a highly monitored corridor so the way back was through a less guarded area. At one point, due to his past he knew where, there was a blank spot on the cameras. He pretended to trip and waited for them to help him up. Little did they know, fate was not on their side, so as they reached down, he spun and grabbed the revolver of the nearest cop and fired it twice at them. His shot had been off, so they were simply injured. Perhaps luck did have them in her good favors. He took the keys from the incapasitated officer and undid his cuffs.

Three was not a highly busy time at Arkham. He only encountered a few people which he dealt with accordingly. He practically just walked right out. No wonder the city was following to bits! The jails, prisons, and asylums couldn't hold their captives. Had they been guarded better, maybe Rachel would have been alive. People would pay for their carelessness. However, he needed a better disguise first. Arkham scrubs were a tad noticable.

_A/N: YAY another update! About time no? So, I've been busy and school starts Monday and I only get busier. Thankfully for you though, I've reached an exciting point so there is motivation to write. Also, next few chapters will be odd. They will be holding two different story lines that will converge though at chapter... next! Okay, not that confusing then. Yeah, forget everything I just said. It's late, deal with it!! Okay, well I will try and update sooner!_


	18. Chapter 18

Harvey was an intelligent man when it came to the criminal dealings of Gotham City. He knew generally who dealt with who. He knew where one territory ended and another began. He knew what criminals did and did not do. There was a criminal rule book that everyone followed... even the Joker. What was the one golden rule? Never cause trouble by your hide-out. You mess up and the cops gain entrance into your lair with oodles of evidence against you. So where ever there was a lack of Joker, that is where he would find him.

The Narrows had been unusually quiet. There was a random attack here or there by the painted maniac, but compared to other places, it was quiet. It would make sense that Joker would chose that place to fester. It was riddled with crime to cover him up; it was perfect for recruiting, and he could keep the mob feeling uneasy. If he could just keep an eye out there, he might be able to find the Joker. He was one to appreciate the guidance of a teacher and who better to instruct him in the ways of chaos than the man who had first opened his eyes. Oh, and he needed to make other arrangements with him. The Joker couldn't hide for long. He would find him.

XXXXXXXXX

'_I... am so bored!'_ Rachel thought as she lay sprawled on the lumpy couch. Since the Joker had put his foot through the television a few days ago, she had had to find creative ways of keeping herself entertained, but nothing was striking her fancy now. Solitaire was only good for a few rounds, card houses were never her thing, no one around here liked checkers, and every room had been searched with the exception of a few that she knew were strictly his. He would not like her going into his study, and she would gladly appreciate her friend's privacy. There were things that he did that she did not want to be a part of and things that he wished to keep secret from her.

"Rachel, have you seen my trench coat?" Joker asked, walking into the living room with an irritated and harassed look about him. She reluctantly untangled herself from the long purple garment and tossed it to him.

"Here you go Ace," she informed him moments before it smacked him in the face. He sighed and shook his head, though a smile now graced his lips.

"I told you not to call me that," he protested. In truth, he generally liked her little nickname, she was sure of it. Ever sense that night he had come back injured, things had really changed between them. She was very comfortable around him and definitely saw him as a human, not a monster. As for him, well he seemed more natural around her and had reduced the daily number of threats to her person from 15 to 7. It was a pleasant change and she was actually able to really enjoy life nowadays. "You may only call me Joker, The Joker, Your Lord and Master, or Mr. J," he instructed playfully. His ego shown through with his recommendations.

"Mr. J? That's a new one... hmmm... perhaps with a little southern drawl... Oh Mistah J, don't you just look simply charmin' today?" she tried it out. A giggle escaped her lips at the ridiculousness of it. "Sorry, doesn't work for me. You'll have to stick with Ace, my lord and master," she teased him.

"Well, don't steal my clothes at least," he bit back, unable to argue with her. He was finally discovering that she had a stubborn streak.

"It's not my fault! It's cold today," she complained.

"Not my problem. Well, I have to run. Try not to harass my employees," he assured her with a quick pat of her head like she was dog.

"Uh, you're so irritating," she called out. No one patted her head!

"I love you too Beautiful," he yelled back with a sharp laugh. '_Men, who needs them?'_ She curled back up and tried to fight off the boredom and the coldness.

XXXXXXXXX

Rachel Dawes. What an interesting creature. Really, if he had known all it took for her to warm-up to him was to let her fix him up, he would have run himself over with a truck ages ago! Again, it went to show how fickle most humans were. '_Oh, it changed you too,'_a little voice snuck up on him. He balked and shook his head like a dog trying to remove water from its ears. That was so not true. So she was not _terrible_ company and she was useful to have around when Batman felt like using him as a punching bag. That did not mean he was softening up to her. '_Of course not Ace,' _the voice taunted him. Why did his inner voice suddenly sound like a sleazy woman sitting at a bar, her black dress hitched up way too far with a dirty martini and three olives? Why did he need to put that much thought into the "image" of his inner voice? Why was blue called blue? So he let her call him Ace. And so he did not mind it too much. He simply found it funny considering he didn't have the looks of an Ace as he had already told her. There was nothing going on with him.

He continued to make his way down the alleys of the Narrows on this drizzly Friday afternoon. It was unusually still here today, but normal people did not like the overcast rainy scene and that included the mobsters that roamed this area. While light rain was doing terrible things for his mask, no one was around to notice. Well, hopefully not no one was here. He was looking for one person in particular and he hoped they would be smart enough to locate his general vicinity. See, the reason he had not told Rachel what he was doing, as he normally did to her chagrin, was because he did not like lying and he could not let her know yet what he had done.

Harvey "Two-Face" was on the loose. He had to admit, he had not expected him out of Arkham so soon, but as former D.A. he probably knew all the tricks of the establishment. Oh, his new little pet would be so much fun to guide and play with. He knew he had made such a good choice with Dent. Hehehe. Now, where was his new toy?

"Don't move Joker." Aw, there he was. The Joker, never very good with instructions, turned slowly to find a not so new and slightly more improved Two Face glaring at him with a revolver pointed straight at his heart. He had to admit, he did not expect to see him looking this well. The gaping holes in the side of his face were missing, though there was definitely heavy scarring and the skin on his left side was a nasty red. His visage fit his name. Also, he had somehow acquired new threads. No scrubs for Two-Face then.

"You didn't saw 'draw.' That's not very fair," Joker scolded Two-Face, pulling his bang gun out of his pocket and pointing it back at his pet.

"I don't want to shoot you. Drop the gun, and let's talk," Two-Face instructed slowly like... like he was talking to a crazy person. That wasn't very nice.

"And I don't appreciate your tone. Let's fix that." He pulled the trigger and a loud bang filled the air causing Harvey to flinch, something they would need to work on. Upon realizing that he was not shot, Harvey opened one eye and saw the little flag.

"I should have know," he mumbled. The Joker gave him an innocent smile, re-aimed at the revolver, and pulled the trigger again, sending the flag at the gun, and knocking it from Harvey's grip. Too stunned to speak, the Joker took this opprotunity to take control of the conversation.

"Now that no one is in danger of being shot, let's get to that talking," he instructed his young ward, throwing an arm around Two-Face and walking back down the alley, stopping only to retrieve his flag. "So, first day out and you're already in Arkham... though everyone thought you were dead. Thankfully, I have a source on the inside and he let me know not to worry about you. Did not expect you to break out this soon either. I will admit, I am impressed. Let's try not to get into the habit of being arrested though. No doubt they've changed your clearance codes and whatnot realizing you're a lost cause and everything," he rambled on. "Don't worry, I'm willing to teach you a few tricks of the trade to keeping out of the slammer." Harvey snapped back into his Two-Face mode (there was a difference apparently) and gave him a business-y look.

"You really are going to help me?" he asked in minor disbelief. Really, he was surprised how few people actually trusted him.

"Of course I will Har-Har-Harvey. Eh, that doesn't really work for you, so forget I ever said that. But yeah, you have been wronged by the world, particularly at my hand, and I need to make it up to you. And, as someone who understands the cruelity of the world, I have to help you. I swear to you, Harvey Two-Face, I shall help you in whatever endeavors you decide to tackle... unless that involves my demise by someone who is not the Batman," he corrected himself. With these lawyer types you had to be careful to cover loop-holes.

"Well, alright then, cool. Uhm, there were a few other things I needed to discuss with you. First, I want you to leave the Police Force, especially Gordon, and Batman to me. You can have any-"

"No, not Batman, sorry kiddo, but he's mine. See, he's kind of like my reason to live... my motivation to educate the world. You can have most anyone else, take Gordon for all I care, but I get the Batman," he firmly corrected him with a quick swipe of his lips. The wheels in Two-Face's brain were whirling, but eventually he caved.

"Alright then, you can have him. Second, I want immunity of all your pranks."

"Of course."

"And... for the time being, and this is more a request than a demand," Harvey assured him, "I would like to... stay with you until I can get settled." Well, that was unexpected.

"No can do."

"What? Why?" he half yelled. Obviously, he couldn't let Harvey just hang around with Rachel there. That would be terrible. Sure, he would find out eventually that his little angel was still alive, but he wasn't ready for that yet.

"Security reasons. Can't have too many people coming and going, especially with your high profile... profile. It would be too obvious if Harvey Dent (sorry Harvey Two-Face) kept showing up at this one place when I have a tendency to stay away from there. However, don't worry. Half these buildings are abandoned. Just pick a place, and no one will ask questions. You're safe here now. So, are we good?" he asked his red-ish friend. Two-Face eyed his cautiously.

"Yeah... we're good." The Joker clapped him sharply on the back and let go of him.

"Excellent! Now, I have a lovely little guest waiting for me, and I would _hate_ to leave her to die of boredom. So excuse me, and I'll see you around," he dismissed himself before running down the alley, coat trailing out behind him.

XXXXXXXXX

He usually tried to preserve the good name of lawyers and be honest and all that jazz, but tonight, he didn't feel like keeping his word. While he would not intrude, it would be a good idea to know where the Joker spent his down time. So taking off at a slightly slower run, he followed him down the alley.

_A/N: So, this more normal of an update pattern? This wasn't exactly what I was planning. Decided that I needed two more chapters before that happened. But still, events have been set in motion. In two chapters, the real fun begins. Hehehe._


	19. Chapter 19

The Joker stumbled in whistling a happy tune. Rachel grabbed her make-shift first aid kit and followed him into the bathroom. Ever since his rainy jaunt a month ago, Joker had been coming home more and more beat-up. His fights with Batman were getting closer together and all the more violent. It seemed like she was constantly mending new injuries or trying to keep old ones from becoming infected. Thankfully, he had invested in a few tubes of Neosporin so her job was made easier. She turned into the room, to find him poking at the skin around yesterday's gash. He had torn his stitches again.

"Don't poke it!" she swatted his hand away and pulled out the needle and thread before removing the little bits of string clinging to the bruised skin. "You need to take a few days off and heal," she sighed.

"I know, but it's just so much fun to let you take care of me. Makes me feel special and all," he teased her, running a finger down her nose. She felt a smile form on her lips at the idea of being needed. That was something new, and she liked it.

"Well, it's not healthy and who else is going to keep Gotham knee deep in chaos if you die of... something silly?" she tried to persuade him.

"My new protege. He's been doing a wonderful job with the less threatening aspects of the city. I get more play time with Batsy now," he fondly commented. Rachel grimaced at the idea. It was still hard for her to image Bruce being so violent on a daily basis. Sure, Joker probably deserved it, but Bruce was such a gentle creature and this brutality seemed strange.

"Speaking of your student, when do I get to meet him? Surely he could use with a little medical attention too," Rachel guessed, eager to meet this associate. She had heard things about him, but had yet to meet him. She didn't even have a name.

"Don't get too worked up. You wouldn't like him and he's kind of hard to get to know with his personality issues and what not. He's just about to start addressing his other half in the third person. No, you won't like Two-Face," he assured her, satisfying her curiosity some. So his name was Two-Face. How silly!

"What kind of name is that?" she laughed, finishing up her stitching. He shrugged and giggled a tiny bit. "Anything else?" she asked. He pulled up the other side of his shirt to reveal a big, ugly, fist-shaped bruise on his side. "Well, unfortunately for you, there is only one treatment for bruises, and it takes forever to work," she teased him, a devilish plan forming in her head.

"Anything you say Doctor Dawes. I am at your good mercy," he surrendered himself. Rachel smiled mischievously before leaning in and pressing a quick kiss to the injury. "What the hell?" he yelped, jumping away. He fixed her with a look of sheer horror and caused side-splitting laughter to erupt from her throat.

XXXXXXXXX

He stared at his captive like most people stared at him. Here he was, the notorious Joker, and she was laughing at him! How the hell had she expected him to react to that? He had not seen that one coming. No one had ever kissed him before... except his mother but that was ages ago. What was this? Good lord, talk about chaos! He did not like it. Now, he had an image to recover.

"Well, well Miss Dawes, becoming quite forward are we not? I'm sorry, but no matter how hard you try, I just am not ready for a relationship. I'm focusing on my career," he teased her, pulling the classic denial lines of women. That shut her up some.

"Don't try and play it cool now. I pulled one over on the Joker, and you freaked Ace," she continued to giggle.

"Don't call me that!" he sulked, not liking being the subject of her amusement. It had been a cute name for awhile, but now it was annoying.

"Or you'll do what?" she pressed. "Kill me?" He muttered something along the lines of perhaps. "Yeah right." He cocked an eyebrow and gave her a pointed look. She didn't think he could do it now. Well, he needed to correct that little mistake. While her being comfortable with him was necessary, she needed to remember who he was. He drew his knife and pulled her to him in a matter of seconds. The knife met the delicate skin at the corner of her lips and her eyes grew wide.

"I could do it if I wanted to," he said just over a whisper. "I'll admit, you're useful to have around, but that won't stop me if you stop listening. I'm dangerous Rach." She swallowed and nodded her understanding. He let her go and sheathed the blade. "Very good, now, is there anything I can really do about this bruise, because as pleasant as your lips are, it's not going to get rid of it. If anything, you might have persuaded it to stay," he teased her, poking at the blackening skin. Rachel cleared her throat, and gathered her bearings again.

"Uh, first leave it alone. Second, citrus fruits help it, or prevent them or something. It's been awhile since college," she tried to remember. He made a gagging sound.

"I hate grapefruits," he spat. Rachel reminded him that there were oranges available and that grapefruits were handy for throwing at people. That made him laugh. "Death by grapefruit, I like it. We might just make a fiend out of you yet." Rachel smacked his arm lightly and put her supplies away. "Well, I have to go out. I'll be back soon," he told her, tucking his shirt in.

"No, you need to rest. No more fighting for you today... and preferably the rest of the week," she begged him. He smiled and pulled her into a hug, causing her to tense up.

"Don't you worry Sweetheart, it's just some petty larceny. If my doctor has prescribed me with Vitamin C, then I shall obey her orders," he vowed mockingly. She giggled a bit.

"Oh, in that case, have fun," she replied sarcastically.

"I will," and with a kiss on her cheek, he ran off, leaving a dumbfounded Rachel behind with the sounds of his laughter ringing in her ears. He always got the last laugh.

_A/N: Alright, so there was a question as to the amount of time that has passed between now and the accident. About four months has passed. Harvey was in jail for almost three months and now a month has passed since he and the Joker became buddies. I know the time is not clearly defined, but if you think about being isolated, time becomes irrelevant. So, this chapter was fairly pointless, but I wanted to show changes in Rachel and Joker's relationship, show that they are quite close now, and also wanted to give her a reminder that he is still dangerous and unpredicable, but as we can tell, his unpredictability is quite predictable from the way she bounces back. That was a long sentence. Who actually finished reading it? Yay. Okay, so review please!_


	20. Chapter 20

_'Thump, thump, thump,'_ Two-Face listened as his heart beat pounded rhythmically with his running feet. He dared a glance back to find that the police had not yet rounded the corner. Looked like Gordon did not pay too much attention to the physical ability of his officers. He looked around for an escape and quickly spotted an alley. He ducked in and dove behind a dumpster. While not breathing, he watched as the small, armed group ran past, chasing some poor bystander in the same grey suit he now wore. It would not be long before the cops realized they had the wrong guy, so he shot back out into the street and began for the Narrows. He needed a place to hid, and he knew just the haunt.

Eventually the noise of the inner city died down and the quiet rumble of the slums replaced it. He slowed down some, but made sure to keep to the shadows. With the amount of trouble he had been stirring up, it would be no surprise to him if there was a reward on his head. Anyone of these poverty stricken people would love to get a hold of him, and it was just dangerous enough here, that they might actually have a chance. The rundown warehouse came into sight and he slowed down to a brisk walk, trying to catch his breath in the process. It was a good thing that the Joker had nothing ridding on this little adventure, otherwise he should have been jumping towns.

Someone must have tipped him off. The police had arrived too soon for an alarm to have been activated, and there was not chance that a squad of armed officers would just randomly show up at Judge Tepred's home. No, he had been set-up, the question was, who? The only person that had known was the Joker, and he was his business partner now. It would not make any sense for him to let the officials know. Someone must be spying on him or something. That ticked him off, and when he found out who, there would be blood.

Two-Face entered the warehouse and began up the flights of stairs. It was a dilapidated looking building on the outside, and the two first levels were shoddy at best, but the third must have been stable considering that's where the Joker was. He heard several sets of footsteps from above and heard a distinctly feminine voice. That threw him off guard. He had never taken the Joker to be the kind to keep women, but he was technically a man after all. Hopefully he wasn't about to walk into something awkward.

He finally reached the third floor and looked down to find a rubber lined door. This was odd, but considering the resident, it was not entirely unexpected. To his surprise, the door was unlocked. He had expected to find more security, but again, Joker was a few quarters short of a dollar at times. He would need to enlighten him on the importance of door locks. He continued down the long, narrow hallway toward the two voices, one which was definitely the Joker, and the other female voice that sounded eerily familiar.

"I told you, you are not allowed to leave that bed until you are properly healed. That's an order!" the voice commanded. Oh, he knew that voice, but it couldn't be!

"But I'm _bored_!" the Joker protested. "Come on Rach, at least let me move to a different room." In any other situation, Two-Face would have found this humorous, but that voice combined with 'Rach' was too compelling. He broke into a brisk jog and rounded the corner.

Harvey's jaw dropped as a tray fell to the floor.

XXXXXXXXX

As she had imagined many sleepless nights, her body acted on its own accord as she propelled herself in Harvey's arms. As they simply held each other, her hands roamed his back and up his neck to ensure that he really was here and not just a hallucination. Sure enough though, she could hear his heartbeat, feel his breath on her neck, feel the scarred skin of his face that she remembered so... wait, when had that happened? She leaned back a bit and inspected the left side of his head. The skin was angry red and lumpy. His lips pulled away from his teeth, and there was something unnatural looking about his eye lid. How had this happened? He looked like... Freddy Kruger in a way. All he needed was a Christmas sweater. Harvey gently took her hand as it traced down his face and closed his eyes as he explained weakly.

"When Batman was carrying me out of the warehouse, it exploded and my face caught on fire from the gasoline that had splashed on it. The doctors forced me to have skin grafts and this is the result. I hardly feel your touch," he explained bitterly. She accepted this, her mind too blank to think, and held him tighter, feeling his pain. "I thought you were dead Rachel," he whispered. "How did you escape?"

"The Joker carried me out when... but... if Batman was saving you then how could he have been trying to help me?" she realized. "He... he told me that Batman was trying to save me against my wishes and was rendered unconscious. He _lied _to me," she spat, betray deep in her voice that Harvey could not help but notice.

"He lied to both of us. He told me you were dead and... a bunch of stuff. I'm just so happy you're alive. Come on, let's get you out of here. If I'm not much mistaken, we still have a wedding to plan," he reminded her. Rachel felt a smile erupt on her face and her heart sing at the idea. She would finally get marry Harvey Dent, the man of her dreams. Her happiness could no longer be contained and she kissed him passionately. Her dreams were finally coming true.

XXXXXXXXX

_'Well, this is sickening,'_ the Joker thought as he watched the lovers' reunite. They seemed to have forgotten where they were or who was with them, so he decided to make his presence known.

"That'll be rather hard won't it now, being a wanted man and all, right Two-Face?" he resoundingly exclaimed. Two-Face tensed noticeably and growled as Rachel flew from his arms.

"Two-Face?" she gasped with an air of disgust and confusion. "Your... your student?" she glanced accusingly at the Joker who had a 'surprise!' look on his face. "You're working with him? That... that can't be. No, I... Harvey how can you... tell me that's not true!" she finally spat out. Harvey's pause confirmed her suspicions even before he sighed and took the step forward the way most men do when they have unpleasant news.

"Rachel... I... I thought you were dead," Harvey whispered as if that explained everything. Really, that was his explanation. That was the reason that he had been turned, but Rachel was an innocent creature and would not understand that. Harvey would need to do better. "I thought... no, they still did fail to rescue you. You were still stolen from me and they needed to pay."

"Harvey!" Rachel yelled. "What are you thinking? I was captured by the _Joker_! Of course they probably weren't going to get to me! He's the single most intelligent criminal in probably the world! Give them a break. You," she paused and her expression grew softer and more defeated, "you worked so hard to rid the streets of evil, to protect the city, and now... now you're as bad as him." '_Hey, I am way eviler!'_ Joker protested, but kept his peace to see how this would turn out.

"No, I'm not! I don't decide people's fate, chance does. It's unbiased. He just kills people," Harvey reasoned.

"He gives them a chance too!" Rachel countered to their surprise. Hm, she might be more ready than he thought. "He gives the people a choice of who lives. He doesn't care who's chosen, but you do care about the outcome. You want the coin to be heads or whatever the system is!"

"You're defending him! Rachel, I love you. I did this for you!" Two-Face roared in frustration. He could not see what was holding her back, but the Joker knew. He heard her talk about it in their philosophic conversations, saw it in the way she looked at him and how she now looked at Two-Face now.

"But, I didn't want you to," she whispered, her voice cracking with emotion. "I wanted you to save the city for me, so that no one had to know your pain, had to suffer my fate. I... I'm sorry Harvey," she full out sobbed and ran from the room. The two men watched her run away for a moment before the Joker finally sighed.

"That's a bummer," he commented. Two-Face turned rigidly, murder in his eyes. He stalked toward the bed and punched the clown square on the cheek. A giggle escaped the Joker, provoking him further.

"You bastard! Is this just a game to you? Is that all my pain's for, a game?" Two-Face yelled, grasping for his coin. Even now, he could not bring himself to kill without justification.

"Duh! Of course! You were made to make a point. Here you were, the White Knight of Gotham and now, you're a criminal like me. Give it enough of a push, and anyone can go bad. You were a social experiment, and a great one at that. I'll tell you Two-Face, I do like you. None of my games have been this satisfying... except maybe Batman... oh and Rachel is great fun too," he commented just to provoke him. It worked. A fist slammed into his face again, drawing blood this time.

"Leave her alone. Do what you want with me, but leave her out of this," he demanded. This only made the Joker laugh harder.

"Rach is a free player. She's been kept here for a week with nothing holding her in, and she still chooses to stay. She wants to play now. Well, I'm rather tired, long day and all, so if you would be so kind as to flip your coin and leave, that would be wonderful," he ended the conversation. Two-Face gave him a look that clearly said they had more to discuss, but he flipped it anyway. To the Joker's amusement, it came up heads. Two-Face gained another punch, but left anyway. He was an agent of fate. If he was destined to live, he would not go back on that. The door slammed shut such that the floor shook angrily. Now, he had a girl to comfort and an opinion to sway.

_A/n: Yay for school starting and distracting me!! That's why this took forever. I totally have the next chapter planned out. It's the emotional climax of Rachel and therefore will be written in the first person. I will try and get that up in a more timely manner. I need to update my Star Wars fic too. Hmmm... yeah. So please review!_


	21. Chapter 21

I never liked lipstick before. Anything brighter than a mild pink seemed to contrast harshly with my skin, but now, as I viewed myself with a renewed confidence, I liked how the cherry red empowered my sweet features. It added an air of confidence and seduction that reminded me of him... of my Joker. My heart fluttered and I giggled a bit at the sound of that. My Joker... I loved the sound of it. To finally acknowledge what my subconscious had been thinking for a month was blissful. After yesterday, there was no way I could think of him in any other way.

XXXXXXXXX

"Well that didn't go very well," the Joker sang bubbly as he flounced into the little interrogation room I had fled to in my distress. I gasped in an attempt to choke back my sobs in an effort to speak.

"You bastard!" I managed. He gave me a dirty look, but I ignored it. "You lied to me! You said he was dead." He gave a low hum and came to kneel before me.

"You know, Harvey called me the same thing. I'd hoped you could be a bit more creative," he lectured me, but I tuned it out. The insensitive freak!

"You lied... you lied... not dead..." I blubbered through a new series of sobs. He stole my life from me. Everything was going to be perfect. I was going to marry the man of my dreams and help restore this city to its former glory. Now... that dream was dead! Gone forever!

"No... no, I didn't lie," he drawled. I quieted in surprise. How was he going to explain this? I knew the truth now! Harvey had been there in my arms, against my skin, right in front of me only ten minutes ago! "I just left it open to interpretation. Yes, physically Harvey Dent is alive, but Rachel, look at me, _look at me,_can you honestly tell me that man out there is the same man you loved? Harvey Dent died months ago, and in his place rose Two-Face. I wasn't lying to you." My mouth must have dropped open at some point because he gently pushed my jaw back into place. He was right, in a way. That wasn't my Harvey. That wasn't the man I wanted to marry. My Harvey would have saved this city for me, not destroyed it in vengeance. I wasn't ready to forgive him though.

"You should have told me though! You could have told me was alive but... different instead of letting it... jump into the open!" I spat, hands waving wildly with each word.

"And how would that have helped Rach? At least this way you got a few minutes of happiness this way. Isn't that what you wanted?" He was making this so difficult! Yes, I had gotten to hold Harvey once more, to kiss, and feel him. That had been my wish, and it had been granted. Even though Harvey was gone, I still got to hold my love one last time. A sad smile tugged at my lips. "Come on Beautiful, let's get out of here," the Joker whispered, offering me his hand. I refused it though, bitterness welling up inside me.

"Why should I? So you can pretend to be nice to me again? Everything I thought I knew is a lie! I thought I knew Harvey, but turns out he has a dark streak a few miles long! And Br... BATMAN! He should have saved him. He could have tried harder! I mean, Batman can fix everything... he could have saved my Harvey. So... so if I thought I knew those people so well, than what about you? I can't predict anything about you! You're a mystery to me. So am I just going to follow you out of here to learn that I'm just a tool of yours in some elaborate hoax?" I accused him off. Normally the Joker is not a very expressive person, but when you hit the nail on the head, he'll let you know. There was a sign blazing around him going 'YES!' "Oh my god... I'm right. You're using me! All this time that you were being nice and acting like you were my friend... you were just using me! Well I'll tell you right now Mr. Joker, I will NOT go along with your plans! No, no no!" I protested perhaps a tad childishly at the end. To my annoyance, Joker only laughed.

"Rachel, Rachel, Rachel, my lovely pet," he cooed and he wrapped an arm around me, "did you expect anything different from me? Have I ever gone against your notion of me? I am chaotic, and you _do_ expect that of me. I, being the variable in your life, am in fact a constant. You might not be able to predict my next step, but isn't it better to not understand me, than to think you do and be disappointed? You can trust me, because you can't trust me," he reasoned and in a way, that did make sense. He surprised me continuously, and yet, nothing was ever much of a surprise anymore.

"As to the claim that you're just a tool, that's not entirely true. Yeah, sure, I'll admit I took you under my wing because I saw potential use for you. You are a valuable investment to make, but that's not all you are." His voice grew lower, and he leaned in closer. "There's something else there Rach. You've touched me in a way nobody else has. I mean, when I'm out there battling Batsy, I almost want to make it out alive for you. I... I care about you Rach." My heart was singing now.

"Really?" I asked, my voice cracking a few octaves higher than normal. He giggled a bit and denied most of it, saying I was tolerable, but... there was something else there. And for whatever reason, that made me so happy. It felt like... like something was finally not missing from my life. I felt like Rachel Dawes for the first time in who-knows-how-long, and it was because of this crazy, yet extraordinary man before me. He was right; he was a constant in my life now, and that's what I had looked to in Harvey. Bruce had been to unpredictable with his Batman routine. There was no assurances there. Harvey had seemed stable. He was normal and had a normal-ish job. But then we all know how that turned out. The Joker though... he had never surprised me. Not once I got to know him. There were patterns there to follow, but for the most part, nothing seemed out of the ordinary with him.

Acting on sheer impulse and ravished emotion, I flung myself into his arms and kissed him, feeling those fireworks I had always wanted ignite in the two seconds I managed to claim. The Joker quickly backed away, his eyes bewildered much like they had been in the bathroom yesterday. I suddenly had the feeling that the Joker not only wasn't used to physical contact, but was completely new to the more... delicate feelings of life. After all, he had been extraordinarily young when he came to Gotham so things like love and romance had to have been missing in those crucial years. A devilish plan filled my mind. There was no chance of saving Jack, but I could still teach the Joker. After all, there were two sides to chaos, and he only knew the violent side of it.

"So, uh, would you help me Rachel? Would you like to help me in my mission to educate Gotham?" he asked, simply ignoring what had happened this time. I thought about it. He did have a valuable lesson to teach. Nobody was innocent, nobody was without a dark side, and people needed to embrace that. It was a lesson I had to learn and now my life was better because of it.

"What do you want me to do?"

XXXXXXXXX

He had come to be this morning with bags of expensive looking office clothes. I noticed that unlike my old wardrobe, the colors tended to favor darker colors such as black, red, silver, purple, and of course green. There were hints of dark blue and other colors, but not a pale color could be found in the bag. I looked at him questioningly. He had refused to tell me what he wanted me to do, but promised to reveal it today.

"You're going back into the law my dear, but not for the mayor or whoever you work for. You're on my side this time. Basically, I want to know the going-ons of the Gotham Bar, of it's police department, and you're my link there. Oh, and in order to explain why you are suddenly returning from Sacramento even though you're quite happily married to one charming Jack Napier, I have blackmailed you into being my defense attorney and you don't want dear Jack getting involved further in this," he explained. Two emotions flew through my head: confusion and elation. I am a hopeless romantic and the idea of marrying my Joker, while odd and comical, is also a tad appealing. Totally impossible, but I can think about it if I want. Then there was his story of why I needed to be married. I couldn't just return from Sacramento? Why there too?

"Uhm, why am I suddenly married and living in California?" I asked for clarification. I should probably know my own background story.

"After the incident, which you escaped from, you fled there to live with a friend and recoup. There, you met up with an old childhood friend who swept you off your feet. The reason for this, is because we need to explain you disappearance and I can't have you getting distracted with a boyfriend and having your mission blown. I might drop by unannounced and it would not do for me to walk in on anything," he explained. I didn't need to tell him that was an impossibility; he wouldn't care. "For authentication," he mumbled, pulling a gold band out of his pocket. I slipped it onto my left ring finger, resisting the urge to squeal. Good lord, I must be hormonal or something. I don't normally act like this.

"So why you, Jack? Why not Gloomy or whoever?" I asked, wondering what he would say.

"They don't know about me. Gloomy is probably in their records somewhere and should the Commishionerr take an interest in you, you're cover is blown," he replied hastily. Oh, he was hiding something! Or was I simply being fickle and clingy and reflecting my own shallow desires upon him? No, I did like him... my Joker sounded too nice for it to be a result of Harvey's not-really death. "Well, you should get changed. I want you starting asap! Get your excuses planned out for Gordon. I don't want any slip-ups!" he warned. I laughed and hugged him.

"Don't worry, I won't let you down."

So here I am now, all dressed up, preparing to irreversibly enter into the Joker's employment, and not even feeling guilty or nervous about it. After everything I've been through, nothing can throw me off now. I am but an actress, being given my role and I shall play it beautifully. Not that I have a choice really, but that's alright. It's expected.

_A/n: Wow, I really like this chapter! Didn't expect to so much. Alright, so Rachel is lovin' the Joker now. God, I feel I butchered that though... I mean, she was mad at him, then realizes, uhm I like him! I don't know, perhaps I should have broken that up, but it was a long time coming. And he did have some good logic. Tell me what you think!_


	22. Chapter 22

The Joker paced the hallway outside the bathroom. How long could it possibly take one person to get ready? He could easily be dressed and have his make-up applied in ten minutes. She had been in there for half an hour! He was about ready to tear the door open and drag her downstairs. If everything went well, she should be able to start working tomorrow, but she needed to go now!

"Are you almost done?" he called, banging on the door. "I would like to leave sometime before my seventieth birthday!" he yelled sarcastically.

"Just give me one more second," Rachel snapped back. He sighed and went back to his pacing. One second wouldn't kill him.

About ten seconds later, he was ready to explode. She said she would be out nine...ten... eleven seconds ago! Did she not see the importance of this situation? How in the world had she managed to keep her job before this? She must have gotten up at two in the morning to get ready or something! He stopped in front of the door and prepared to hit it again, when it finally opened. His hand fell limply to his side.

He would admit, Rachel Dawes was pretty, a fine tribute to femininity, but he would never go so far as to name her a great beauty. Or at least, he would not have before now. As Rachel stood there, a cool air of confidence surrounding her, he felt something come over him. She looked amazing. Her clothes, for once, flattered her figure and gave her proper womanly curves unlike his old throw-aways. Her red blouse was opened just enough to hit at what lay beneath, but she was still modest and professional. A pencil skirt ended right at her knee and her black stocking clung to well-toned calves at were only accentuated by her heels. No wonder woman wore those torture devices! Her dark brown hair, which was considerably longer than before, was curled in loose ringlets and the top half was pulled back off her face revealing her more sharply defined features. That girlish feel her face had formally held was greatly lessened thanks to stress and slight malnutrition and she appeared even more confident and adult-like. Her entire appearance screamed power and control, something he could appreciate completely. This was a new Rachel Dawes, and one he liked quite a bit.

"I thought we needed to leave?" she teased him as she caught his change in posture. He cleared his throat and straightened up, regaining his dignity. He was not one to be caught off guard by a pretty woman, especially not one of his employees.

"Correction, you need to leave. We can't be seen together. Here is your apartment key. I actually managed to secure a place in your same apartment building, but two floors down. Things should be ready for your arrival. Moe and Larry worked quite hard on it supposedly. There is a cab downstairs that will take you to Gordon so you can get your death certificate revoked." He instructed.

"I thought you told Batman I was alive though? Wouldn't he have told the police about that? I shouldn't have a death certificate," she called his bluff.

"Uh, well, I never actually told him you were alive. I merely hinted at the fact but he didn't get it. Batsy isn't creative enough to understand me. Everyone thinks you're dead," he replied honestly. She just shrugged and allowed him to continue. "You'll definitely need proof of identification unless you want to go through all the nasty DNA work and court case. Here's your old ID and your new 'California' one," he said as he handed her two cards. She recognized her old one, but was shocked to see the new license. Obviously she did not know of his amazing computer skills. "Soooo... is everything satisfactory Mrs. Napier?" he asked with deep bow and a step backwards to allow her access to the rest of the corridor. She giggled, a true, school girl giggle, and her fingers fluttered to the hollow of her throat.

"I'll have to get used to that," she mumbled. "Yes, I believe everything is in order. If I need to fib a few parts of my past, I'll let you know. Uh," she thought suddenly, spinning back to face him as she rounded the corner, "how can I contact you should the need arise?" He sighed and explained a number was programed into her speed dial. That would link her to one of his pre-paid phones.

"Only for emergencies though," he cautioned her.

"Of course! Now, are you going to walk me out or does the hospitality end now?" she teased him. Normally, he would have given her a smart remark, but he wasn't quite ready to leave the company of Miss Dawes just yet.

"I'll walk you to the door, but only because I don't want you spreading any lies about my manners now," he assured her. It was a quick jaunt there and as he finished flinging the door open, she pulled him into a light hug. He managed to catch himself this time as his muscles prepared to tighten, and eased, though awkwardly, into her embrace.

"Thanks Mr. J, I'll see you around," she whispered. He smiled at her sentiment. Most people bid him a good life and hopped towns. This was a pleasant first.

"What, I'm not Ace anymore? You gone country or something?" he teased her. He would admit, in the deepest part of his mind, that he secretly kind of liked her little nickname for him.

"I figured it would be silly to make it all this way just to have you kill me for calling you that," she reasoned with a smile. She let him go, and walked out the door to the awaiting taxi. He sighed and pressed his forehead to the cold metal door. He needed a good break from Miss Rachel Dawes. She was a bad influence on him.

"Golly Gee Boss, that's one fine woman there. No wonder Dent was crazy 'bout her." Joker glanced over at the unnoticed thug with an annoyed expression. People did not need to voice his opinions aloud.

"Moe, shut up!" he bit back lamely. She was a very bad influence.

XXXXXXXXX

Never before had the Gotham Police Station seemed like such an intimidating place before. Now, as Rachel stood on the white stone steps, facing up at the chiseled sign overhead, she felt fear sink into her veins. Not only was she breaking the law and conspiring with a mass murderer, but she was also making her appearance into a world where she was supposedly dead. Nothing here was certain anymore. Peoples reactions, her mission, everything was new to her. There was no longer anything she could count on except herself and even that was vague. Her left finger ran over the gold band on her ring finger, and a sense of confidence gripped her heart once more. There was something she could count on, her Joker. He would be there, causing trouble, perhaps coming to her with new bumps and bruises, and hopefully dropping in just to talk about the oddest things. Somethings wouldn't change now.

With her shoulders squared, and her head held high, Rachel entered the station. She approached the counter where an unaware officer was situated. He glanced up when he heard the click of her heals, but there was no recognition there. She was relieved that she would perhaps be able to walk down the street without everyone gaping at her. Had it been enough time for the city to have forgotten her face?

"Excuse me, is Commissioner Gordon in?" she asked briskly, going for a professional, but warm feel to her voice.

"Yeah," he answered abruptly. Rachel eyed him for a minute, waiting for him to say something else. It became apparent that he was not going to inquire as to her reason for asking, so she took a more 'well-to-do' stance and gave him a more pointed look.

"May I speak to him?" she questioned perhaps more sharply than was necessary.

"Do you have an appointment?" Did the commissioner make appointments? Well of course not she didn't have one especially if that was a new concept to her.

"No, but it is of the utmost importance," she assured him. The officer sucked on his front teeth in annoyance at having to do something, but picked up the phone and dialed an extension. He was truly a poor credit to his profession and Rachel felt her heart go out to Gordon if he was being forced to hire slobs like this.

"There's a woman here to speak with you Commisioner. Are you available?" the lazy man asked with a more polished tone. At least he had enough brain cells to show respect to his superiors. "One second Sir," he said after a moment's silence.

"What's your name?" he asked her as if it was the most serious of inconveniences.

"Rachel D..." she nearly slipped up, a bad sign this early in the game, but at least she had caught herself. "My name is Rachel Napier," she answered him. Then again, if she wanted to assure her chance to speak with Gordon, she needed to be someone of interest. "He knows me as Rachel Dawes though."

"A Mrs. Napier... says you know her as Rachel Daw... RACHEL DAWES?" the officer yelled into the mouthpiece as everything finally clicked. Apparently Gordon was shocked to as there were shouts assaulting her ears that were not coming from the officer. Rachel was practically dragged into Gordon's office in record time. The desk officer gave his hasty 'welcome back' and left the office probably to tell his friends. The door slammed shut and she was left alone with Gordon.

Commissioner Gordon was not the most composed man Rachel knew of. He did have a tendency to give into his emotions, but thankfully, he was managing to keep his jaw off the floor right now. She regained her composure from the shock of the whirlwind the trip up had been and crossed the few feet between her and the door. She sat down, crossed her legs- a security thing few people knew about- and fixed the commissioner with a supposedly apologetic but pleased look. Right now, she was torn between the joy of seeing a familiar, non-painted or damaged face and the new skepticism that she viewed the world with now. Was Gordon really the good guy she knew, or was he something different?

"Hi Gordon," she broke the tense silence as she normally greeted him. She felt that confidence slip away and be replaced with a shy awkwardness. Gordon opened his mouth once, closed it, took a deep breath, and opened it again, this time with words following.

"M-miss Dawes," he chocked out. "I... I mean... uh, Mrs... I'm sorry, what-"

"Napier, I was married last month, but don't worry about it. You can call me Rachel, Gordon," she assured him. He nodded distractedly as he mumbled the information back to himself.

"Well, Rachel... uhm, where have you been? We all thought you were dead!" he blurted out, causing her to flinch.

"I was in Sacramento. The Joker saved me from the explosion. One night, I managed to escape. I hoped on the first bus out and headed to California to stay with an old college bud to recuperate. I didn't want to put my parents or friends in any danger and I knew you must of had your hands busy and didn't want to trouble anyone. I should have told someone I was alive though," she added to her tale. She was surprised how naturally the lie came to her. Acting and hiding emotions was a second nature now thanks to her profession, but lying was a different story.

"Oh well, in that case, we should probably return your living status. Do you have proper identification or do we need to go through a nasty court proceeding?" he tried to be humorous. She removed the I.D.s from her pocket and showed them to Gordon. "That makes things easy then. So, what brings you back to Gotham?" he asked as he made copies of the cards and typed some stuff into the computer.

"The Joker, he showed up one day and basically told me I could be his lawyer or I could watch Jack die," she lied again. Gordon stopped working and stared at her.

"The Joker asked you to be his lawyer?" he clarified.

"Yes."

"Oh, this will interesting," he growled, clearly not pleased with the situation. She feigned distress and gave a dramatic sigh. His eyes softened and he returned her sigh. "I think you know we cannot have a former captive and victim of a person defend them in court. We'll find a way out of this," he assured her. Not having to fake it this time, she shot her head up and protested.

"No! You can't do that. I'm sorry Gordon, but as unhappy as I am with this situation, I have to go through with this. He'll kill Jack if I don't," she explained. "No jury will ever believe he is innocent. We catch the man, put him on trial and he's in Arkham or prison for life. Then it's over and we can go back to our lives," she tried to sound optimistic, but the prospect of having the Joker locked away for life was difficult to come to terms with.

"You're right," Gordon agreed. "Now, I should be able to bring you back among the living. I would suggest talking to the new D.A, George Arnolds, about your situation. But for now, you should perhaps let your friends here know you're back. Mr. Wayne has been absolutely miserable these past few months," he suggested. Rachel smiled, but was groaning on the inside. This was one meeting she was not looking forward to.

_A/N: I was not planning on updating today, but one of my charming reviewers scared me into it. While I love to hear how you like the story and want to read more, recieving several reviews a day telling me to update now is excessive. I do have school and something similar to a life to maintain, so please bare with me. Thanks everyone!! So tell me what you think. I'm rather unsure about Rachel here._


	23. Chapter 23

"May I help you Miss?" the soothing voice of Alfred greeted her. Rachel allowed a smile to relax her tense muscles as she turned to face the aging butler. Alfred's eyes opened wide with shock as her face computed in his memory. It took a lot to surprise the man, but this was one of those times.

"Hi Alfred, is Bruce home?" she asked as if this was a normal visit. After a moment's silence, she feared that she had given the poor man a heartattack, and her smile vanished. "I'm sorry, I should have sent notice ahead of time, but I really didn't want to wait. This must be a huge surprise and probably a rather cruel one..." she trailed off. In all truth, she was kind of dreading this visit. While she had missed Bruce during her absense, she was also now on the opposing side. She feared slipping up in front of him.

"Well, I certainly think you should have, but this is definatley not a bad surprise," he gently reprimanded her. "Master Bruce is in the library. Would you like me to call him down?" Alfred asked professionally.

"No, that's alright. I know my way up," she refused and took off into the elegant manor. As she climbed the stairs, her fingers traced the familiar wood working that she had played on as a child. Well, it wasn't quite familiar. The knicks and scratches that she and Bruce had created no longer existed thanks to the remodelling done after the fire last year. The house made her nostalgic and for the first time, she wondered what she had gotten herself into. Was it worth sacrificing the ease of her friendship with Bruce for the man she loved? She shook her head to clear it of such doubts. Of course it was. And in a way, it wasn't Bruce she was breaking ties with, just Batman. There was a difference.

She turned into the library to find Bruce slumped over in an armchair, asleep with a book in his hands. She smiled at how innocent and peaceful he looked, and made sure to remain quiet as she tip-toed over to him. She knelt down near his knees and gently pulled the book from his limp hands, setting it on the floor before taking a worn hand in her's. Her thumb caressed his skin and he stirred in his sleep, forcing some hair to fall into his eyes. Wiping it away, she gently called his name. His eyes fluttered open on her second attempt, and his lips curled into an easy smile as his eyes focused on her.

"Rachel," he softly mumbled her name. He reached his other hand up and ran it through her hair. "You look different than you did yesterday." She smiled sadly as she realized he thought this was a dream.

"You're awake Bruce, I'm really here," she tried to assure him, but the giggle that escaped him showed her failure.

"That's what you always say," he whispered, anguish leaking into his voice. "I miss you."

"I missed you too, but I'm back." He shook his head in denial.

"Rachel, just let me enjoy this while I can," he begged her. She shook her head and pushed the hair out of his eyes, causing her fingers to get tangled in a knot. "Ow, that hurt!" he complained, rubbing the sore spot. "Wait," he paused as everything clicked, "that hurt, which means I'm not sleeping. And if I'm not sleeping..." he trailed off.

"I'm alive, Bruce." Hardly having time to finish the sentence, Rachel was pulled into a crushing hug that forced the air from her lungs.

"Oh my god, Rachel," Bruce sobbed. She felt tears prick her own eyes as all the pent up emotions of the last months swelled. She had missed her best friend and hated that she had caused him any pain.

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

"No, don't be. You have nothing to be sorry for. It was my fault, all my fault. I should have gone to you." Rachel bit her lip, trying to pretend she didn't know that was a lie. He had gone for her. The Joker had just lied to him.

"No, I'm glad you didn't." They cried for a few more minutes. Eventually, they managed to pull themselves together, and could make an attempt at normal conversation.

"So, where have you been all these months?" Bruce finally asked. Rachel looked down and reminded herself of the backstory which managed to bring a small smile to her face.

"California. I was staying with a college friend after I escaped to protect my family and get out of Gotham. I couldn't handle staying here after that. It was actually a really good decision. I met up with an old friend, Jack, and well..." she trailed off, unable to say the words. Instead,she held up her left hand. Bruce's jaw dropped just a bit, but he tried to look happy.

"Well, uh congradulations," he chocked out. He clearly had something else to say and Rachel let him work it out on his own. "Isn't that kind of fast?" he blurted out. Rachel sighed and chewed on her pinkie nail.

"Yeah... perhaps, but can you really blame me Bruce? After you and Harvey, I'd learned to not let things slip away. I'm happy for once in a long time... but now the Joker's trying to ruin that." Bruce's eyes darkened at her aknowledgement.

"Why, what's he doing now?" Rachel took a deep breath, this was her sealing the deal. There would be no turning back now. She squeezed her eyes shut and covered her face with her hands.

"He's making me be his lawyer. Decided he's had too many close run-ins with the law and wantes to ensure quality legal representation. He sent some of his... goons after me and threatened to kill Jack if I didn't agree to this," she lamented. Bruce's reaction was right on cue.

"Why that dirty, rotten, son of a..." he trailed off and he took to pacing the room in absolute rage. He seemed to be struggling to find a word filthy enough for the Joker and was failing miserably. Bruce came to a halt and leaned againt the mantle of the fireplace. It was such a cliched postion, and Rachel the desire to giggle despite the supposed gravity of the situation. "So what now?" Rachel shrugged and sunk onto the floor in a completely unelegant position.

"Have him arrested, keep him long enough for a trial, and land him in jail for the rest of our lives. No matter how good his lawyer is, there is no way he'll be found innocent. At best, we could argue insanity and have him in Arkham for a good twenty or thirty years," she reasoned.

"The death penalty will be kind treatment for someone like him," Bruce bit back viciously. Rachel felt the blood drain from her face at the prospect. If he got caught, he could be killed. Her Joker... gone... no. "Rach, you okay?" Bruce asked softly, kneeling next to her.

"Yeah," she chocked out weakly. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just don't feel well all of a sudden. I have to go," she decided suddenly.

"Do you want to stay here?" he offered. "Or could we drive you somewhere?" She shook her head.

"No, thank you though. I have a taxi waiting, and an apartment in town. Bye Bruce," she excused herself and fled the room with tears in her eyes. He was only able to call for her to visit soon before she was out the door and in the stolen taxi once again. Moe or Larry (she couldn't remember which) didn't ask any questions but drove her to her apartment in silence.

A/N: Sorry this took so long. I jsut hate writing chapters with Bruce and emotion. He's just not a character I can write. That and I've been distracted lately. So here this is. Please review, though I doubt I have to tell ya'll that. Next chapter has some lovely jokachel action... not that kind people.


	24. Chapter 24

Her original plan had been to burst into her apartment and take a hot bath while crying for hours on end. The very first part was able to work. She did burst into her new apartment, but that was the extent of it. There on her couch, acting like he owned the place (which he technically did) sat the Clown Prince of Crime himself, The Joker. He had a nasty switchblade out and was examining the blade with his gloved fingers. He barely glanced up at Rachel as she came in, but she could tell from his posture that he was very much paying attention to her. With numb hands she shut the door and forced her self to go and sit down across from him on the coffee table.

"How was your little visit with Brucey boy, Rach?" he asked in a mock-calm voice. Her blood suddenly ran cold and her voice froze. He misinterpretted her silence for guilt and leapt to his feet. His hand grasped her throat and he threw her to the floor. Before she could react, he had her pinned down, the blade in the corner of her mouth. "I trusted you to help me, and not even a few hours later, you're singing all to the cops and that little friend of yours." Rachel trembled beneath him, knowing death was upon her. She closed her eyes and waited for her life to be cut away.

XXXXXXXXX

His arm tensed up, keeping him from running the blade through her face. His other hand tightened around her wrist and a wave of disappointment and betrayal flowed over him. It was a foreign emotion and tears began to sting his eyes, though he didn't know why. Instead of killing her, he only yelled.

"Wasn't I good to you Rachel? Did I not keep you alive, help you through your depression? Did you not enjoy spending time with me? Did laughter not grace your throat for the first time because of me? Why Rachel?" he nearly screamed. "Why would you betray me?" _And why can't I kill you?_ But he did not add that. He could not show weakness here. He pulled her wrist up and violently smashed it back into the floor. "Answer me!"

A sob tore through her silence. She mumbled over and over again, that she didn't tell, that no one knew, that she was still his. He wanted to believe her, but something stopped him. His fingernails bit into her skin and the knife pressed harder into her flesh. She continued her babbling, and her eyes met his.

Rachel was an awful liar and honestly shown brightly in her watery blue eyes. He reluctantly let go of her, and rolled to sit beside her trembling figure. He took a few calming breaths and pushed his green hair out of his face. He'd lost his cool, not good, and worst of all, he had lost his ability to be himself when freaking out. Why could he not kill her? She was potentially a spy, jeopardizing his career, and he held back? He would have to evaluate that. He watched from the corner of his eye as she pushed herself into a sitting position next to him, her limbs shaking and her eyes even more dead than before. She hugged her knees to her chest and rocked back and forth ever so slightly. He sighed and wrapped his arms around his knees and clasped them together with the knife blade reflecting his scarred visage. He twisted it a few degrees and watched his reflection warp itself as he tried to find something appropriate to say. Social interaction was his weak point. He was a more solitary figure. What to say? What to say? Hmmm...

"So what happened with Brucey?" he asked in a dark sing-song tone.

"Nothing," she whispered, her voice shaking nervously. He sighed and leaned back onto one hand so that he was more on her level. It was hard to talk to someone behind you and he liked to look at the people he was talking with to read them better. His head rested on his shoulder and he peered through the green strands of hair that fell into his eyes. For a moment, he imagined that he was some stylish model trying to seduce the reader, but then he felt the need to stab himself and stopped that line of thought.

"That was some pretty emotional nothing there Rach. So tell me, what happened? Did he figure out your little secret or did he realize that he has no hope with you?" he mocked her. Rachel gave him a dirty look and inhaled deeply before speaking.

"He doesn't know anything, I already told you that, and he still has a chance with me!" she lied. He could see it in her eyes that there was no room in there for Bruce. He had her hooked, poor fool. He wouldn't call her on it though. "He was just so sad and everything. It hurt him... me being away and all." That wasn't true, well not all of it. He turned around completely, kneeling before her. His hand grasped her chin lightly and lifted it so she had to look at him. Her eyes shifted this way and that for a few moments, but eventually she was forced to meet his amber orbs. He tried to project as much sensitivity and caring as he could into his expression, but he had a feeling he was failing miserably. Maybe Rachel would still fall for it.

XXXXXXXXX

Rachel was hypnotized by the sincere concern that she saw reflected back in his warm brown eyes. He looked sad to see her so distressed and she wanted to melt into his embrace to get rid of that pain. Her own hand worked lose of the grip she had on her upper arm and encased his, rubbing her thumb on the back of his hand.

"Come on Beautiful, what's eating you?" he asked so softly it broke her heart. All her barriers fell away and she confessed all as tears streamed down her face. She told how sad Bruce had been, how angry he was at her "situation," how it pained her to know she was going to disappoint him with her alliance, her fears of the inevitable trial.

"Even if we can prove insanity, the jury probably won't grant justice at all. They'll sentence you to death and I'll have lost you forever. I don't want that to happen," she cried as she threw herself into his arms. The Joker tensed up, but hugged her back awkwardly.

"Don't worry Love, I won't let them get me so easily," he promised her. She laughed humorlessly. It wasn't good enough. "Get up," he demanded. "This floor is less than comfortable." He lifted her up and led her over to the couch. Rachel couldn't help but notice that he shook a bit. Definitely not used to the finer emotions in life.

XXXXXXXXX

He needed to get out of here now! Rachel was not a good influence on him. He loved how he felt around her, kind of like how he felt when killing, but it was foreign and strange at the same time. His hands shook and he tried to silence them. Goodness, this was unacceptable.

Rachel sank onto the couch, smiling a bit up at him. She must have noticed his reaction to her. He crouched down in front of her and studied her face for a few minutes. Mascara ran down her face in a way reminiscent to KISS and her hair was affright. It was quite a different sight from the confident vixen he had left earlier. In a way, he liked this version better. She was so vulnerable, open to his manipulation. Trouble was, in this situation, he didn't know how to manipulate her. This was new territory.

"Well, you better now?" She smiled and nodded. "Great!" he said springing to his feet. "In that case, I have to get back to work. I'll pop in later. Remember to take notes. I will expect a detailed report," he warned as he back towards the door. She assured him he would get his report and with that, he bolted out. If this was to continue, he needed to study this interaction more.

_A/N: Well, guess this thing took about as long the last one to get done. College essays have been stacking up and whatnot. Hope you enjoyed this. I promise, I will try and update sooner, but I really can't promise anything. Sorry. Please review!_


	25. Chapter 25

Rachel sat on her bed with a steaming cup of tea and her notes from the office. Her unofficial notes that is. It contained everything she'd gathered over her first week back. It didn't seem like much- typcial office gossip- but surely the Joker would find a way to use it to his advantage. Things would get better once she had a case though. The new District Attorney, George Arnolds, thought it best to give her time to settle in. It was kind of him, and very stupid. He had junior lawyers doubling up on cases concerning some of the most dispicable mobsters in Gotham while he sucked up to the mayor. He was everything Harvey wasn't. Gotham needed its White Knight back.

Rachel grimaced with that was just further proof that Harvey Dent was truely dead. His latest actions had confirmed that. Her hand led itself to the letter tucked into her notebook. '_I'll be watching.' _That's all it said, but it chilled her to the bones. A lifetime ago, it would have been comforting to know Harvey was watching over her, but this was different. This was an act of deceit and terror from Two-Face intended to scare her. It was working too.

A knock sounded on the door and for a moment, Rachel was frozen with fear. Reason set in though, and she shoved her notes under a pillow before answering the door.

"Hello Rachel," Bruce greeted her with a charming smile.

"Oh, hey. What can I do for you?" she asked, letting him. She suddenly realized how scruffy she looked in her worn, mismatching flannel pajamas in comparison to Bruce's tailored jeans and leather jacket. Why did he have to look so nice all the time?

"Nothing at all. I just stopped by to see how things were going. We haven't really talked since you got back. Oh, and I brought cheesecake!" he added, lifting the white box that she knew contained her favorite, sinfully creaming dessert. There was no way he was leaving now. She hastly offered him a seat then ran to the kitchen for two forks. She returned, curled up next to her best friend, and together they dug into the small pie.

"I thought you'd be out saving Gotham," she told him. It was dark and cloudy, perfect conditions for crime fighting. He shrugged and took another bite.

"Gotham can survive a night without me. Beside, I'm not too popular right now." Rachel nodded. Supposedly Batman was the reason Harvey Dent "died." She thought so too, just not in the way everyone else did. She knew the truth. "Rach, I am sorry about Harvey. He was a good man, and I know this must be really hard now..." he apologized awkwardly.

"It is, but more for Gotham's sake. You don't have to apologize though. I just-" Her thought was cut off by the phone ringing. She didn't recognize the number, but answered in case it was someone at the office.

"Hello?"

"Hey Beautiful, how's work going?" the Joker answered. Panic gripped her knowing how close Bruce (and more importantly Batman) was. then she remembered the gold ring adorning her finger and with a new smile and chirpy tone, she responded.

"Jack! I didn't think you'd be calling considering how sick you are." If Bruce could hear anything, it would be best to cover up the voice. "Works going okay, not much to tell," she responded in code.

"Who's there with you?" he asked picking up on her message.

"Bruce is over right now. Just catching up. Could I maybe call you back?" He would still want his update, but she couldn't give it right now. Bruce tapped her on the shoulder and mouthed that he wanted to talk to Jack. She needed to think fast.

"No, he's still recovering from a bout of laryngitis and needs to rest, maybe later."

XXXXXXXXX

His eyes scanned the street below from atop the fire escape as a smile stretched his face. So, Bruce wanted to talk to dear ol' Jack. This would be too much fun. After all, it wasn't every day he got to talk to Gotham's playboy billionaire.

"Put him on." He heard Rachel stammer a few times, clearly not pleased with his response. What did she think he was going to do, reveal their entire plan? Really, she gave him so little credit.

"I don't think that's such a good idea _Jack_," she hissed at him. However, he made up his mind.

"Do it." He made out that Rachel said something to Bruce as she handed over the phone, but she was too far away for him to hear.

"Hello?" Bruce's voice broke the silence.

"Bruce? Hello! It's so nice to finally talk to you. Rachel has told me so much about you!" he gushed, adding a raspy edge to his voice to comply with Rachel's cover story. Besides, GNC did have his videos in circulation and his voice was very unique so Bruce would probably have recognized it.

"Really? Well, admittedly I don't know too much about you," Bruce replied awkwardly, hoping not to insult. Too bad for him.

"Oh, so Rachel has forgotten her poor, sick husband now that she's gone off to play attorney for some monster? How sad," he lamented. Bruce began to explain the situation- they haven't talked much- but he cut him off with a laugh. "No, I understand. You're both probably really busy and whatnot. Besides, I doubt she wants to break your heart like that, what with you having a thing for her and all." This was also valuable time to force Mr. Wayne out of the picture. If she had a jerk husband, he wouldn't want to come around and possibly blow her cover sky high.

"I uh- that's a um... thing of the past. I'm actually quite happy for you both," he said in a tone that was both happy and regretful. Oh the poor sap had it bad!

"_Of course you are,_" he teased him. "Believe me Bruce, I did you a favor. She nearly forgot you or something. No talk of you at all until she got the assignment! You were chasing a lost cause there buck-o." At this point Rachel intervened.

"JACK NAPIER!" she shrieked, causing his blood to chill with pleasure. "Just because you are jealous and scared does not mean you need to spread lies. Bruce is just a friend, a brother really. Get some sleep," she demanded and hung up. He cackled maliciously when the phone beeped, ending the conversation. Good times, good times.

XXXXXXXXX

"Bruce, I don't know what got into him," Rachel apologized, knowing that was going to be a huge mistake. "I talked about you all the time, I swear."

"Yeah, it's okay," Bruce said crestfallen. "Hey, I have to go," he said, suddenly getting up. "It was nice catching up. Hope you liked the cheesecake." With that he nearly ran out the door. Rachel slumped into the couch and pushed the pie aside, suddenly not in the mood for it. Stupid Joker, having to go and interrupt her fun.

Speak of the devil. Her window slide open and in jumped the Joker in a frenzy of purple and green. As he straightened up, he pushed his green-blonde hair out of his painted face and Rachel immediately forgot her anger towards the beautiful man.

"Hello Beautiful," he greeted her in her traditional manner. "That friend of yours is too sensitive. Lucky for us, I needed him gone. So, where are your notes?" he asked joyfully. She indicated for him to wait a moment, but as she went to turn around, she found him leaning against her door post, watching her as he chewed on the left over dessert. She couldn't help it, but her blood began to heat up with the image of him in her bedroom. "Uh, your notes?" She started a bit and returned to her cat-scratch. Suddenly, she was really nervous. He sighed and walked over to sit next to her and grabbed her notes, reading them in between bites of cake.

"Eh, not bad," he chewed. "Fair bit of blackmail. I imagine what's-his-face is letting you ease in and all?" She nodded and scooped a bit of the filling with her finger.

"Unfortunatley. I'm his best lawyer and he's swamped with cases, yet he won't let me near one! I mean, if he wants to see those mobsters behind bars, he needs to put experienced people on their case so that obviously guilty people stop getting off!" she complained, only to eat her words the next second. "Oh, sorry... these are your business friends aren't they?" Surprisingly, he chuckled.

"Nah, pawns for the most part. I don't care what you do with them. Someone will always rise up in their place and I'll use them should they prove necessary. Really, they are snivelling, greedy children fighting over something they don't actually own," he explained. "The fewer the better though. I have plans, and I don't want them in the way," he alluded, quickly moistening his lips. She perked up at this revelation and inched a bit closer.

"What plans do you have?" she almost whispered. It was going to be another test for Gotham, and she wanted to know what it was. More importantly, she wanted to know if she would pass. He giggled more lightheartedly and pulled her against him, causing her heart to race.

"Rachel, Rachel, I can't spoil the surprise! You might be my favorite little minion, but I can't tell you. You get to see tomorrow like _everyone_ else!" he teased her, placing a gloved finger on the tip of her noise. She smiled sadly, but couldn't feel properly excited about this after being refered to as only a minion. She hoped he could have seen her as more. Before she could stop herself, it slipped out.

"Then, that's all I am to you, an employee?" Her face reddened and she suddenly wished she could have a face of white paint. His grip loosened on her and he forced their eyes to meet. Those amber orbs probed her soul for really a few seconds, but it seemed a lifetime. The arm around her shoulders fell to her waist and the other hand met the curvature of her face. He slowly leaned in and brushed a kiss against her unsure lips.

"Never," he breathed. Rachel died in his arms.

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He wanted to laugh, but as he stood in the dark alley below an hour later, he couldn't. He had Rachel so at his whim now. She was in love with him, even better than in debted. He should be howling with her fickle emotion, but all he could do was tingle. He felt her weight against him, her skin beneath his lips. It was imprinted into the paint, seared onto his flesh. It wasn't unpleasant, but he wished it was. It didn't seem healthy. He needed a diversion. Perhaps tonight was a good night for his plans actually. With furious determination, he took off for the docks. Who needed women anyways?

_A/N: OMG! I am so sorry everyone! It's been forever, I know! Just, this was a slow chapter and life has been really busy and exciting, I just never found the time to write. I will try and update more though. We are quickly approaching the climax of all of this. But anyways, was this at least worth the wait? :D I hoped you liked it. I wasn't originally going to have her admit anything to him, but figured you guys deserved it. And no, he was not confessing anything. He's still not into her yet. That's a few more chapters off. We need to revisit Harvey too. Kind of forgot about him. He's been up to stuff and wants to tell you all about it. Yeah, so please read and review! And enjoy too._


	26. Chapter 26

The Joker took Rachel into his arms and kissed her too delicately for his murderous nature. This was not a rape as he was orginally prepared to think, but an "honest" romantic relationship. Two-Face's black heart turned to diamond stone and Harvey's shattered. He was being replaced by the very monster who had destroyed his life. he stood abruptly, knocking over the trash can he had hidden behind and kicked it into the adjacent wall. He tjrew one last dirty look at the window and stormed out of the alley.

He had been watching her over the last few says. News of Rachel Dawes's, now Napier's, return had spread like wild fire but it had taken time to make up his mind in regards to her and then to find her window. Her apartment was different. Everything had seemed fine and normal. Perhaps her appearance was different but that was probably natural after captivity, but she seemed too happy. He found it odd, and now he had an answer. The truth hurt more than the mystery. Sure he had seen them interacting that day in the warehouse, but he could almost chalk that up to making the best of a bad situation. This was undeniable though. He needed to save her.

Rachel had always placed a great deal of faith in Batman. Admittedly, he lost faith in Gotham's Dark Knight, but Batman was also the mortal enemy of hte Joker and the enemy of my enemy is my friend. He needed to contact him and there was only one way he knew how.

The police station roof was silent that night. Crime was plateauing and Gotham was enjoying the ability to breath. No one seemed to notice the menacing figure climbing the fire escape nor the bat sign reflecting off the clouds. He stood in the shadows just in case, but no one came up. It took 30 minutes for the Batman to arrive, but eventually, he dropped heavily onto the roof.

"Who's there?" he called out gruffly/ Harvey could tell he was wearing a mouth guard, but it also seemed he was trying to change his voice too. He spun around, his cape flowing menacingly behind him as he searched for his siren. Harvey confidently stepped into view, his scarred wisage turned away from his old enemy and new ally. "Two-Face!" he shouted in shock, moving into a defensive crouch. In his moment of shock, he let his voice return to normal, and Harvey knew his suspicions were confirmed. He knew who the Batman was.

"It's Harvey... just Harvey," he corrected him, as he began to walk in a grand circle around the Dark Knight. "I need your help," he confessed. Batman stood up a bit more, curious as to what he needed.

"With?" he encouraged.

"We need to save Rachel. She-"

"what's wrong with her? Does the Joker have her or is it someone else? How long-"

"Shut up you imbecilic moron!" Two-Face shouted. There were a lot of hard feelings that just could not be forgotten. "_Physically_, she's just fine, but... she's working with the Joker. I just saw them together. She gave him something and then..." he trailed off as the emotion overtook him. "How did you stand it Bruce? Seeing her happy with someone else?" he cried angrily. Bruce froze under his armor, but he did not deny his identity.

"How do you know it's me?"

"Talked to the Joker and he told me his theories about Batman and his thing for Rachel. It just fit," he rushed through. "Did the mask loosen the pain?"

"Never, it made it worse. She ran from it. She needed someone up front and honest with her. This double life was too much. You were that, and now Jack guy-"

"There is no Jack! She's _with_the Joker. San Fransisco was a lie! I found her, days before her return, fawning over him, treating his injuries, teasing him, and I just saw them kiss... like how we used to. She seems so happy with that monster, it doesn't make sense! He has her manipulated. We need to help her!" he screamed. Bruce's jaw dropped open a little at this revelation.

"Are... are you absolutley sure? That doesn't sound like her."

"I know what I saw! I wish I hadn't but I _saw_ them together! Please, will you help me save her?" he pleaded. Bruce finally lowered his defense and approached Harvey to place a hand on his shoulder.

"Of course I will, but Harvey, this won't bring her back to you," he informed him. Two-Face shoved his hand away and paced into the shadows.

"You don't know that! she'll see the light again and we can go back to how we were!" he hoped. Bruce laughed sadly and rubbed away some tears that had sprung to his eyes.

"We've all changed too much for that. Eventually Harvey, you'll find tha seeing her happy with someone else maskes the pain go away and you can go on living," he advised.

"So what? You're saying I should be happy seeing her with the JOKER?" he nearly screamed, tears falling from his good eye. He turned and stalked back into the shadows, his heart filled with rage.

"No, no, not at all. Just that, when she finds the right person, you'll stop worrying about if he's the right one... if you're the right guy, and move on, content to be her friend." Harvey stopped his maniacal pacing and looked at Bruce square in the tormented eyes.

"Did you see that with me?"

"For a little while." Harvey was smothered in a split second and Two-Face shouted at him.

"What do you mean?" But he was already gone.

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Bruce stood on the building, looking at Rachel's curtained window. If the Joker was there, he was gone now. He believed Harvey. The pain on his face was reminiscent of his own during her relationship with the former DA. That pain, even by a mad man, could not be faked. Still, he wished it was. Tears streamed from his eyes at Rachel's betrayal. She was his best friend and ultimate love, and now she was aligned against him. She'd chosen the Joker over Batman. Chaos for justice. It didn't work out. Something was wrong. Harvey's words echoed in his mind. "He has her manipulated." That he did. The Rachel he knew was still in there, suppressed behind torture and madness. They would save her, and eventually, she would see him as a friend once again. He straightened up, determined as never before. He wouldn't set the police on her, or label her a common criminal. She was a victim, and he would save her. With that, he disappeared into the night.

_A/N: Much faster update. I knew I needed to get them together and I knew that Two-Face had to know about Rachel and the Joker. Wasn't sure how that was going to work out. Yay for history and Spanish classes! I get a lot of writing done in there. Gah... I hate this keyboard! It's a school one and the enter button just does not want to work. So... anyone read _A Tale of Two Cities_? If so, you know the ending. If not, well read closely, it's in here. Kind of. Vaguely. What did you think? I know it's short, but it had to stand on it's own. Please review!!! I like getting your reviews. They make me happy. Thanks!!!_


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